SUSO sponsorship celebrates stars of tomorrow

SUSO is a soft drink brand which promotes itself as a healthier alternative to other fizzy drinks. It is available in five flavours (Lemon, Apple, Orange, Berry and Tropical). Suso is a brand run by Cott, the world’s largest retailer brand beverage company, which sells beverage concentrates in over 50 countries across the world and has over 4,000 employees. SUSO Brand Manager, Ally Whitehead, claims that Suso contains 60% fruit and can be counted as one of your “five a day”.

Now Suso is taking a further step to resonate with the young people who are its target consumers.

The company is offering sponsorship deals to talented youngsters who are looking for a small cash boost to help them with training in their field of excellence – be it sport, urban sport, technology, science, music, art, drama, dance, writing or photography. Lucky winners will receive a “£500 bursary in addition to branded goodies”.

To enter, the young person (aged 13 to 18) has to upload a personal video onto the Suso Facebook page, explaining why they should win and outlining how the sponsorship will help them to further their skills. Every two months, a public vote will select five entrants to go forward to the judging panel. Winners will be chosen every two months throughout 2014.

If all the shortlisted entrants received £500, Suso would be spending £2,500 every two months – or £15,000 over the course of a year. Presuming that the judging panel will be reducing the number who receive awards, Suso’s over spend on prizes should be below £15,000, which does seem a little mean for a company which seems to want teenagers to fund its profits. Still, let’s not sneeze in the gift-horse’s mouth (or whatever the proverb is): go to www.facebook.com/susodrinks and let’s try to win the money for the East End.