Solo (Australian soft drink)

Positioned as a highly masculine drink, Solo presents an overtly male image in its aggressive television commercials.[5] The first "Solo man" character was acted by Michael Ace, PE Teacher.[6] The second Solo man was Terry Creasy, the father of actor Joel Creasey.[7] Ad slogans including "The thirst crusher" and "Light on the fizz, so you can slam it down fast" were used in advertising until the early 1990s.[8] The commercials often featured scenes of men taking part in activities such as athletics or extreme sports. Since becoming a sponsor of the Football Federation of Australia, the slogan "Game On" has been used.[9]

In 2012, the Solo Man was revived by the advertising agency BMF as part of a new Solo advertising campaign, and starred Adam Demos. This is the origin story of the Solo Man who is swinging an axe in colonial Australia, puts lemons in a barrel that gets away and gives chase down hills, later chugging the entire barrel himself in the quintessential Solo Man stance.[10][11][12][3]

In 2018, Solo Man returned with a new take on what it means to be a "Solo Man" with a less macho presentation. In these commercials he is a good dad who makes costumes for a play, has a dog and puts together flat pack furniture. It came with the tag line "A Thirst Worthy Effort".[3]

Cadbury Schweppes sold a similar citrus drink named Rondo in the United States market during the late 1970s and 80s.[13] Like Solo, Rondo's marketing was positioned as a similarly masculine drink. Its aggressive commercials were parodied in the 2006 film Idiocracy as "Brawndo: The Thirst Mutilator".

Using the Australian Solo as an inspiration, Cadbury-Schweppes has also sold an energy drink in the U.S. called Coolah Energy.[14] It used the tagline "Energy from Down Under". It listed boronia as an ingredient, a citrus plant in Australia known more worldwide for use in floral arrangements than its fruit. Coolah Energy has since been discontinued.[15]

• Lift (soft drink)

• Schweppes | Official Website