Miles Thirst -
Pint-sized pitchman (doll) with a
boisterous hip-hop attitude (like comedian Chris Rock) who
appeared on a series of Sprite ad spots that began airing
nationally on TV and radio in 2004. Reminiscent of 1970s martial arts legend
Jim Kelly and Clarence Williams III (Lincoln
"Linc" Hayes)
from the 1960s cop show MOD SQUAD, Mile Thirst is ever cool
as he
wears sunglasses, gold chains and appropriately styled clothes -
from baggy jeans to fancy fur-trimmed coats. Thirst, (a.k.a. "The Sprite Guy")
concludes each commercial by shouting "Show 'em my motto" ("mah
mah-toe"). The motto, of course, is "Obey Your Thirst,"
the longstanding ad slogan for
the thirst-quenching lemon-lime soft drink Sprite, a Coca-Cola
product.
The Miles Thirst campaign was created by
WPP Group's Ogilvy & Mather of New York. It debuted in the
spring of 2004.
In his first commercials,
Miles hangs
out with his friends on a city stoop on a hot summer day and
watches two
attractive young women stroll by; tours NBA rookie star LeBron James
crib (apartment) and encounters the wonders a Sprite vending
machine; in the kitchen; and goes to a movie theater and happily
shares his Sprite with two women who occupy the seats on either
side of him.
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Miles
overshadowed by a Sprite soda machine |
Miles sharing his Sprite
with two lovely ladies |
Later spots in 2005 had Miles
race
through a crowded room in an attempt to snatch the last Sprite soda
left at a party; and battle a group of Asian martial arts
fighters. In that spot, he wears a green kung-fu outfit and strikes a defensive pose
as he
warns his attackers "Don't mess with a brother's Sprite."
Quickly, Miles kicks his opponents butts and then
tells them "All you had
to do was ask." Of course, Miles ends the spot with his signature
catchphrase "Show 'em my motto."
In a USA Today
(4/26/2004) interview
with Theresa Howard actor Reno Wilson
(Lt. Tom Selway on ABC's BLIND JUSTICE)
who provides to the
voice to Miles Thirst said Miles "got the afro going and the glasses going, and he's
got a little flavor and fashion sense. I immediately understood
who this dude was. If you were 10 inches tall, you would have a
loud voice because you're always talking up to people and trying
to get noticed." Another reviewer, described the Miles
Thirst campaign a "one of those ads where you either love 'em or hate
'em."
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Miles Thirst's casual and hip fashions |
In 2005, MSN and Sprite joined forces to launch "The Scenario"
(http://music.msn.com/thescenario), an online entertainment
experience designed for teens and hosted by Miles Thirst. The
site featured Miles Thirst who recommends the latest music from
top DJs around the country like Big Tigger, DJ Spooky and Tony
Touch; and gives visitors the ability to connect with each other
via MSN Messenger (http://www.milesthirst.com)
In the summer of 2005,
Miles Thirst
participated in Spike TV's "Tricked Out Ride
Sweepstake" with Jessi Combs of Spike TV's Extreme 4x4. The
winner received tricked out Honda Civic. Miles also
appeared at the NBA All-Star
weekend and has been a guest VJ on MTV.
TRIVIA NOTE:
The actual Miles Thirst character is an
10-inch vinyl doll equipped with detachable arms, legs and heads
with different facial expressions to create about 30 different
poses. The popularity of the Miles Thirst doll has
created a demand from the public to own their very own Miles Thirst
doll.
