SodaStream was launching a new innovation – bubly drops. This was the biggest launch in recent history, and the first-ever partnership with PepsiCo in Canada.

While we were initially briefed to create a traditional media event, the pandemic had hit Canadian media hard, making media events less impactful than they used to be. In fact, 40 media outlets had permanently closed and 182 outlets reported layoffs or job losses.

We knew we needed to do things differently to break through in an increasingly tapped media market and have the impact the brand wanted for this launch.

With people spending most of their working (and non-working) days on camera, it was no surprise that nearly half (49%) of Canadians reported exhaustion from the daily video calls. With no immediate end in sight, we needed to do something that would shake things up and bring them out of the drudgery of life on Zoom.

To announce bubly was “dropping” into SodaStream sparkling water, we convinced international singer-songwriter and famed bubly spokesperson Michael Bublé, a Canadian, to “drop” into a wide variety of Zoom calls. We then leveraged the footage for earned media storytelling, social and OLV.

We were launching as Canadians were feeling peak pandemic burnout. The root cause: Zoom fatigue. Video calls had suddenly become our sole way to connect to friends, family, co-workers, and the outside world.

This cultural truth aligned with the product’s value proposition: adding bubly drops to SodaStream sparkling water can be a real gamechanger – not only to their water, but also to their day. We challenged ourselves to create a launch campaign that – like bubly drops – would add a touch of effervescence, breaking up the “same old” that Canadians were facing and making things feel a little more glass half full.

With Michael Bublé aboard, we knew we had the ultimate ambassador. We stepped into action, identifying relevant Zoom calls across Canada. Our unexpected “Bublé Drop Ins” included a surprise birthday, cooking class, mommy group meet-up, business meetings, virtual workout class, and even a Municipal Town Council meeting.

But we didn’t stop there. Hearing Michael’s friend Jann Arden was being interviewed with ET Canada, we secured a “drop in” during the segment.

All drop ins were shot in one day, and quickly edited into media-friendly b-roll. We also produced online video assets, ensuring even wider reach.

Our creative approach not only created buzz around SodaStream’s launch, but it also produced some truly sparkling sales results*, catapulting the bubly drops line to the top of the flavours category for SodaStream.

Campaign results:

• 141 stories, including key top-tier outlets like Global News, CTV, ET Canada, and Narcity

• 79M+ media impressions

• 100% positive sentiment in media coverage

• 440k+ views of the “Bublé Drop Ins” OLV on YouTube – the majority of which were organic

• Over 3.6M views of the surrounding Bublé creative on YouTube, amplified through paid investment

*Source: Flavours POS Units 2021 week 14 to 26