Evian
- Evian ended its iconic babies (featuring animated infants) campaign in the US and adopted an influencer-driven campaign strategy to build a more youthful brand image in 2018.
- According to Olivia Sanchez, VP of marketing for Evian in North America, while babies connect the idea of “drinking water with living young”, for Americans, youthfulness is now more about "a mindset and an attitude”.
- “We have evolved to lifestyle moments: Evian is served at high-end events, restaurants and hotels,” she said. “A bottle of water is an extension of who you are and what you talk about.”
- In July 2018, Evian launched the “I Wanna #Liveyoung” campaign in the US. The campaign was rolled out through “Out-of-home (OOH), social media, influencers, and sponsored events,” with a focus on influencers.
- Evian spends 80% of its advertising budget on digital media, “especially on social media and search”, as it is the most cost-effective way to reach millennials, who are more likely to purchase water than soda.
- “The campaigns target audience, according to Evian, is people who “refuse to be defined or settle for one path in life. They are the ones who say, “I Wanna” as in: I Wanna do what I Wanna, I Wanna try what I Wanna, I Wanna be what I Wanna. I Wanna #Liveyoung.” Evian celebrates the multidimensional
- “New York-based fashion influencer Luka Sabbat”-- 1.2 million followers on Instagram--joined brand ambassadors Maria Sharapova and Madison Keys in endorsing Evian. “Sports icon and entrepreneur Maria Sharapova; model and creative director Luka Sabbat; tennis athlete and Fearlessly Girl ambassador Madison Keys, together embody the spirit of Live Young.”
- “The New York Times profiled Luka Sabbat as an influencer to watch, and noted one admirer who said:’He’s the cool kid at the party we all want to be’.” Evian also asked other influencers in “New York City and Los Angeles to share their own stories online”.
Sprite's "Thirst For Yours" Campaign
- “Sprite was the first major soda brand to connect to hip-hop culture by sponsoring artists, festivals and events beginning in the 1990s, “a move the resulted in an invaluable ‘cool factor’ for the brand. According to a company director, Sprite marketing ‘speaks to the drink’s core fan base of 13- to 24-year-olds.’ The brand’s ‘Obey Your Thirst’ campaign (2018) promoted self-expression and individuality through hip-hop culture.”
- In 2019, Sprite replaced the 'Obey Your Thirst’ campaign with a multi-year integrated marketing campaign, called “Thirst for Yours”, that continued to highlight hip-hop culture through artists and musicians. The campaign included “TV spots, social media and influencer content, outdoor ads and in-person experiences."
- The 'Thirst For Yours' campaign built on the March 2019 "launch of Sprite Way, a community-powered Spotify playlist and podcast highlighting unsigned hip-hop and R&B talent, and the #GetVocal campaign launched" in fall 2019, which invited "fans to download a custom beat created by Izze the Producer and record a 60-second topical freestyle to share on social media."
- According to Weiden+Kennedy, Sprite's ad agency, with the "Thirst For Yours" campaign, "Sprite hopes to create and elevate a community-led talent engine of the next generation of artists - from musicians to fashion designers and beyond - to achieve their greatest ambitions." Sprite has been providing hip-hop artists a platform since 1990.
- The campaign was launched with a media event in Los Angeles that ended in a panel discussion where Sprite Way-hip-hop celebrities and influencers Kodie Shane, a young rapper, and Seth Giscombe, a promising fashion designer, discussed their personal journeys and "how Sprite helped advance their careers."
Sprite Way talent, Bino, "who received a performance slot at the BET Experience in Los Angeles", said “being featured on Sprite Way means this was meant for me, is my purpose, and it’s my time. All my sacrifices and hard work are making my vision come to life. To me, it means someone is always watching keep your faith."
- A pop-up experience to "celebrate sneaker culture with Sprite photo booths, sampling stations and performances from Sprite-associated performers Rapsody, Kamaiyah and Villain Park" was organized in LA. Sprite also launched two 30-second commercials--"called 'The Artist' and 'The Empire',"--during the BET awards that featured the two influencers.
- During 2018-19, "black teens saw 3.6 times as many ads for Sprite compared to white teens, which was the second-highest black-targeted ratio" of the brands analyzed by Uconn Rudd Center.
5-Hour Energy's Instagram Campaign
- 5-hour Energy targets advertising to Hispanic and Black youth. "It ranked number six in ads viewed on Spanish-language TV, and Black teens saw 2.3 times as many ads for the brand compared to White teens." The brand's "social media campaigns often use humor, contests, and other themes that appeal to young people."
- 5-Hour Energy ran an "Instagram campaign with three young female social influencers — Kelsey Lowrance, a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader; Courtney Steeves, a recent college graduate with a blog on travel and style; and Marza Wilks, a 24-year-old Peruvian cellist at Juilliard —" between August and October 2018.
- The "influencers were sourced via Influential’s IBM Watson Technology, which selects the most appropriate influencers via context (keyword usage) and the brand’s chosen Watson Personality Insight Traits (this campaign included Excitement, Activity Level, Friendliness and Cheerfulness)."
- "Influencers created and posted content before, during and after the show promoting the official 5-hour Energy sponsorship of Dierks Bentley and the 2018 Mountain High Tour." A total of 15 Instagram posts were shared by the three influencers during the campaign.
- The campaign generated 22.9 million impressions and grew the brand's sales by 2% (or $1.2 million) in the three test markets: Boston; Louisville, Kentucky and Grand Rapids, Michigan. It "drove a short-term ROAS of $6.11, more than six times higher than the $0.92 average of social media food campaigns measured by market researcher IRI and influencer technology firm Influential."