Steve Koonin was tasked with making a fruit-based, lemon-lime soda called Sprite culturally relevant and significant in the 1980s. Its early success came from its popularity among teenagers, and when The Coca-Cola Company realized this, it went full force into advertising for that younger generation. The advertising arm came up with the slogan, “Obey Your Thirst,” and implemented hip-hop jingles into its marketing campaigns. Artists and rap groups such as Nas, A Tribe Called Quest, Missy Elliott and LL Cool J all started appearing in commercials for the drink. Sprite’s popularity exploded and started making its way into the NBA, with Kobe Bryant and Grant Hill being early spokespeople for the brand.
Now with the Hawks as their CEO, Koonin has been at the forefront of trying to make this franchise a cultural stalwart in Atlanta. What makes this task difficult is the Hawks are not a generational franchise like the Celtics, Knicks or Lakers.
