This was a street marketing operation to promote a life vest sold by sports equipment brand Tribord. A street team distributed cans of energy drinks at beaches in the South of France. The cans were actually filled with 100% salt water, designed to give people a taste of drowning. The cans themselves could be used for a reduction on the purchase of a Tribord life vest.

One in three people in France don’t wear safety equipment at sea. The brief was to make people aware of Tribord flotation vests, an affordable way to stay safe.

Our strategy was to give them a taste of drowning that they’d never want to experience again. To achieve that, we manufactured a drink that looked like a cool energy drink, but was actually 100% sea water.

During the operation, sales of the vest increased by 130%, and after the operation stabilized at a 22% increase.

Over a 4 day promotional period, we distributed the cans to people on and around beaches and docks in the south of France. By visiting marinas and docks, we were able to target water users.