The Split Pipi hype, in history.
Introduced in the 1970s, Dalmacijavino’s Pipi, a non-alcoholic orange drink, was the answer to Badel's then popular orange drink, "Nara", explains Moj Vrijeme.
Legend has it that the new Pipi drink was supposed to attract a younger crowd and was named after the heroine of the same children’s book - Pippi Longstocking. The author of the famous children’s tale, Astrid Lindgren, is said to have given her blessing to use the name and renounced all rights. Who would have thought?
After a very successful product launch, Pipi then began with equally successful television campaigns.
The first television campaign was released in 1977 with marathon swimmer Veljko Rogošić who announced that Pipi is for both the old and the young.
"That's why you drink Pipi, it gives you strength” was the popular slogan still remembered today.
In 1981, Pipi introduced Ana Sasso, an unknown young girl from Split who is still inextricably linked to the brand today. In this Pipi commercial, Sasso can be seen sensuously jumping out of a swimming pool in a tight t-shirt. As expected, Sasso's fame followed.
The second in a series of Pipi videos filmed with Sasso is from 1983, after she was crowned Miss Yugoslavia in 1982. Sasso even went on to represent the country in the Miss World 1982 pageant where she placed among the top 15 finalists!
This 1983 Pipi commercial exhibited just the right blend of summer, youthfulness, and ultra-modern music which was something Yugoslavia had never seen before.
The commercial was filmed at Split’s Bačvice Beach where Sasso is paired with Ivan Šola, a former 500cc motorcycle racer who is also known as a Split legend.
This Pipi video, particularly, became a part of television history.
Translated from Moj Vrijeme
