Quatro

Quatro is a fruit-flavoured carbonated soft drink associated with two distinct periods of commercial activity. The original British version was produced and sold from 1982 until 1989. It was a green-coloured canned beverage whose name referred to the four fruits used in its flavour profile: pineapple, orange, passion fruit and grapefruit. The drink became commonly available in the United Kingdom during the middle and late 1980s, but production and sales there ended in 1989. The British brand is particularly remembered for an ambitious 1984 television advertisement developed during a period when advertisers were experimenting with computer animation, futuristic production design and visually unconventional storytelling. Kirkwood and Partners commissioned a commercial titled “Machine,” written by art director Colin Underhay and copywriter Alex Pearl. The advertisement portrayed a futuristic vending machine malfunctioning and combined live-action footage with computer-generated animation. Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton of Cucumber Studios directed the production, while animation for the machine’s interior was created with assistance from Sogitec, a French company associated with Dassault Aviation and flight-simulation technology. The soundtrack was produced by Intaferon, an English new-wave duo consisting of Simon Fellowes and Simon Gillham. Although the campaign was tied to the British product, its production history gives Quatro a notable place in the visual and technical development of 1980s soft-drink advertising. The Quatro name was subsequently revived in South America. Since 1996, the current incarnation has been sold and marketed by The Coca-Cola Company. Unlike the original British multi-fruit formulation, the South American version is grapefruit-flavoured. It has been reported as available in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay. This later version therefore represents a geographically focused brand continuation rather than a simple ongoing distribution of the original United Kingdom product. Quatro occupies a niche position within the Coca-Cola system: it is a regional soft-drink brand with a distinctive fruit identity rather than a globally standardized flagship comparable to Coca-Cola, Fanta or Sprite. Its historical identity combines a bright fruit proposition, a memorable green appearance and an unusually technology-oriented advertising campaign. Its current presence is concentrated in selected South American markets, while the original United Kingdom product remains discontinued. Publicly available reference material does not establish a founder, a precise headquarters, a current website, detailed sales figures or a complete corporate history beyond the Coca-Cola Company’s role in the post-1996 South American incarnation.

Quatro entered the United Kingdom soft-drink market in 1982 as a canned, fruit-flavoured carbonated beverage. The product was green in colour and differentiated itself through a four-fruit flavour concept involving pineapple, orange, passion fruit and grapefruit. Its name reflected that combination. From 1983 through 1989, it was commonly available in the United Kingdom, giving it a visible presence during the period when branded carbonated drinks were increasingly competing through distinctive flavours, packaging and mass-market television advertising. The brand’s best-documented promotional development took place in 1984. Kirkwood and Partners received a brief to create a Quatro television commercial and, after research and development work, selected a script called “Machine.” The concept centred on a futuristic vending machine malfunctioning. Colin Underhay served as art director and Alex Pearl as copywriter. The production sought to combine live action with advanced computer animation, a technically ambitious approach for the time. Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton, working through Cucumber Studios, directed the commercial. Their previous work in music-video production had included projects for artists such as Elvis Costello, Talking Heads and Miles Davis. To produce the machine’s animated interior, the filmmakers approached Sogitec in France. Sogitec was a subsidiary of Dassault Aviation and was known at the time for work connected with flight simulation. This collaboration linked a mainstream soft-drink advertisement with specialist computer-graphics capabilities more commonly associated with aerospace and technical visualization. The commercial’s energetic soundtrack was scored by Intaferon, the short-lived English new-wave duo formed by Simon Fellowes and Simon Gillham. The “Machine” campaign is consequently a significant part of Quatro’s documented identity, even though the available reference material does not provide detailed information about its media spend, sales effect or long-term consumer response. Production and sales of the original British Quatro ended in 1989. The brand did not remain a continuously available United Kingdom product after that date. A later phase began in 1996, when The Coca-Cola Company started selling and marketing a current incarnation of Quatro in South America. This version differs from the original British drink in its publicly described flavour profile: it is grapefruit-flavoured rather than being identified primarily with the earlier four-fruit blend. The South American product has been reported in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay. The two periods should be understood as related brand histories rather than as an uninterrupted single-market product line. The first Quatro was a British soft drink remembered for its green appearance, mixed-fruit formulation and technologically adventurous advertising. The later Quatro is a Coca-Cola Company regional brand operating in selected South American markets, with grapefruit as its defining flavour. Available sources do not document a founder, a standalone corporate headquarters, ownership before the Coca-Cola Company’s involvement in the current incarnation, or detailed changes in packaging and formulation. No public source supplied for this dossier establishes financial results, current distribution scale or an official brand website.

• 1996

  Coca-Cola Company South American incarnation begins

  [1]Quatro (drink)en.wikipedia.org

  The Coca-Cola Company began selling and marketing the current Quatro brand incarnation in South America.

• 1989

  United Kingdom production and sales end

  [1]Quatro (drink)en.wikipedia.org

  Production and sale of the original Quatro ceased in the United Kingdom.

• 1984

  “Machine” television commercial developed

  [1]Quatro (drink)en.wikipedia.org

  Kirkwood and Partners commissioned an ambitious Quatro advertisement combining live action, computer animation, futuristic production design and a soundtrack by Intaferon.

• 1983

  Quatro becomes commonly available in the United Kingdom

  [1]Quatro (drink)en.wikipedia.org

  The British product was commonly available in the United Kingdom during the period from 1983 to 1989.

• 1982

  British Quatro introduced

  [1]Quatro (drink)en.wikipedia.org

  The original canned, fruit-flavoured Quatro soft drink began production in the United Kingdom.

A distinctive fruit-flavoured carbonated soft drink with a regional market footprint. The historical British product emphasized a four-fruit blend and visually memorable branding, while the current South American version is positioned around grapefruit flavour and Coca-Cola Company distribution.

• Carbonated soft drink · 1982

  Original British Quatro

  The original United Kingdom version was a canned, green-coloured, fruit-flavoured carbonated drink. Its name referred to four fruits associated with the formulation: pineapple, orange, passion fruit and grapefruit. It was produced from 1982 to 1989 and is no longer sold in the United Kingdom.

• Grapefruit-flavoured carbonated soft drink · 1996

  South American Quatro

  The current regional incarnation is sold and marketed by The Coca-Cola Company in selected South American markets. It is described as grapefruit-flavoured and has been reported as available in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay. It represents the continuing commercial use of the Quatro name after the original British product ended.

• 1984Machine

  United Kingdom

  Kirkwood and Partners developed a Quatro television advertisement built around a futuristic vending machine malfunction. Directed by Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton of Cucumber Studios, it combined live action with computer animation produced with Sogitec and used a soundtrack by Intaferon.

  Outcome. The advertisement became one of the best-documented elements of the original British Quatro brand history. The supplied reference material does not state a measured sales result or campaign award.

  Source

• 1996

  Reintroduce Quatro in selected South American marketsStrategy

  Background

  The original British Quatro product had ended production and sales in 1989. The Coca-Cola Company later adopted the Quatro name for a regional South American soft-drink offering.

  Action taken

  The Coca-Cola Company began selling and marketing a grapefruit-flavoured Quatro in selected South American countries, including Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay.

  Aftermath

  The decision established the current active phase of the brand while leaving the original United Kingdom product discontinued.

  Source

1. 1Quatro (drink)en.wikipedia.org