Jolt Cola
Nostalgia Campaign Doubles Soda Sales, Week Over Week
Jolt Cola
Industry: Food + Beverage
Beyond its signature lightning bolt logo and distinctive flavor profile, Jolt Cola represents a cultural touchstone that challenged the status quo of traditional soft drinks. Each bottle delivers an uncompromising blend of pure cane sugar and premium caffeine, crafted for those who demand more from their carbonated beverages.
Challenge
Iconic ‘80s beverage brand Jolt Cola was preparing for a nationwide brand relaunch. Jolt Cola and NJI Media tapped Belle Communication as its media relations partner to achieve rapid, nationwide awareness, drive trial and activate brand loyalists.
APPROACH
A core element of the relaunch campaign was to strategically appeal to the nostalgia factor, highlighting Jolt as an ‘80s comeback brand known for “all the sugar and twice the caffeine”. Primary target audiences included Gen X (teenagers during Jolt’s original popularity) and millennial males, especially those in tech fields, journalists and gamers. Coverage also needed to make it known that the soda would be available exclusively at Dollar General and online through Amazon.
PROGRAM
Belle took a three-phased approach to media outreach. First, to generate buzz leading up to the launch, we identified journalists and media influencers most likely to be Jolt fans and teased the brand’s comeback by sending '80s-themed lunch box kits with cans of Jolt and other swag. Next, we broadened consumer media outreach and began pitching business media with messaging focused on the business story and Dollar General/Amazon distribution strategy. Once the product reached full distribution, Belle expanded national outreach within all identified media verticals with messaging around Jolt Cola’s availability in stores and online.
OUTCOMES
Throughout the 10-week campaign, Belle secured national media placements that hit the target audience like a perfectly timed power move.
- 121 media opportunities
- Product placements on prime-time television shows included CBS’ “Me, Myself & I” and ABC’s “The Goldbergs”.
- 415 million media impressions
- 48 hours to sell out on Amazon
- 2X In-store sales week over week from mid-September launch to late October
