Pasta brand Barilla is targeting the millennial demographic by partnering with social influencer Hannah Hart, creator of My Drunk Kitchen, in a new YouTube series that features a playful take on interviewing and cooking.

 

Ms. Hart is launching a new sponsored mobile series, While the Water Boils, that plays on the theme of cooking pasta, featuring interviews that take place within the time frame of how long it takes to boil water. The video series will be featured on the YouTube application and Barilla?s digital platforms, such as the mobilized Web site PassionForPasta.com, in the hopes of reigniting interest in pasta now that carb-free diets are popular. 

?Mobile was at the absolute core of the idea,? said Melissa Tendick, vice president of marketing at Barilla, Region Americas. ?We have seen reports stating that over 45 percent of Web video is consumed by viewers on mobile and this is rising. 

?Combine that with the fact that we are targeting passionate millennials who are often times content creators themselves, we wanted to make sure that the videos are optimized for mobile, are easily shareable, and support multiple formats across a variety of content platforms,? she said. 

While the Water Boils brings a branded experience that takes on a non-advertising strategy, which is essential in appealing to the distracted consumer of today. The mobile series features Ms. Hart interviewing wide range of celebrity guest in short videos of about five minutes, the same time it takes for water to boil. 

The first season is available now on Ms. Hart YouTube channel, as well as Barilla and PassionForPasta.com. The interviews tap into each guest?s passion and what fires him or her, as Ms. Hart?s passion is cooking.  

For instance, fashion stylist Rachel Zoe was featured discussing her passion for styling and how she first became interested in the career. The other notable guests featured are science personality Bill Nye and artist Hebru Brantley.


Rachel Zoe shows off her passion for fashion

Each season consists of three episodes, and the second season will air in October with a slightly different theme. 

Season Two episodes will feature comedian Wanda Sykes, actor Theo Rossi and professional skateboarder Lizzie Armanto creating personalized recipes with Ms. Hart. 

Ms. Hart is known for her widely popular YouTube series, My Drunk Kitchen, featuring the cook trying out various recipes while consuming alcoholic beverages. Her channel, MyHarto garners views mostly from millennial users and has 2,489,953 subscribers. 

Similarly, footwear manufacturer Toms drove home the impact of its donation policy in which the brand gives away a pair of shoes for every pair purchased through a virtual reality push in partnership with AT&T that follows the effect of the charitable project (see more).

Also, low-fare airline Wow Air put its millennial-centric audience at the focal point of a new campaign encouraging consumers to show off their Snapchat skills for the chance to be a content creator and travel the world (see more). 

Mobile video is becoming increasingly popular with consumers, and sponsored partnerships are growing in reflection. 

?Pasta and passion go together,? Ms. Tendick said ?That is why Barilla created While the Water Boils, a new web series that aims to inspire millennials to pursue their passions in whatever time they have got. 

?While the Water Boils is part of the broader Passion For Pasta initiative to help people of all ages reignite their connection to pasta, while reassuring people of pasta?s nutritional value,? she said. ?When we think of pasta, we think only of family, tradition, and pride?values that mean less to us than our grandparents? generation. 

?We forget that pasta also inspires individuality, discovery, and passion, qualities that have always been part of Barilla?s DNA. Our overall goal is not only to prove pasta?s role in a healthy diet, but also to remind you why you love pasta, because it brings people together, inspires creativity, and ignites passion.?