7Up is debuting a new creative direction with a campaign that launched earlier this week, which includes multiple digital spots and a partnership with digital lifestyle brand Tastemade.

7Up?s Mix It Up A Little Campaign will highlight the soft drink as an essential staple for baking, cooking and cocktails, and features a mobile-optimized campaign hub that features recipes for food and mixed drinks, all of which include the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group property. The campaign kicks off with creative from advertising agency Deutsch, the first of which is available on the brand?s YouTube account.

"The 7Up digital campaign is quite compelling," said Michael Becker, managing partner at The Connected Marketer Institute. "It is both entertaining and informative.  

"It helps people see beyond the boundaries of the can and the expected uses of the product and invites them to open their minds up to more possibilities."

The first spot, "Yacht", features party hosts preparing a tray of cocktails and then transports them to various social scenes, with a cameo from rapper 2 Chainz. A corresponding spot, "Granny", will launch at the end of April, and highlights 7Up's usefulness in the kitchen.

"For this campaign, we wanted to demonstrate all of the ways you can mix 7UP," said Brett Craig, executive creative director at Deutsch. "We liked the notion of showing our characters in unexpected situations that highlight the ways they've used 7UP as a staple mixer. 

?This is a positioning no brand in the category has taken, and it's a bold one for 7UP."

The campaign also features a variety of digital-only videos that include recipes incorporating 7Up, from bundt cake to kimchi. Sir Mix-A-Lot features in one such video, trying a ?Bubble Bundt? cake and a "Mrs. Butterworth Be Jalapeño Business" Cocktail, both made with 7Up. 

The soda brand also plans to partner with digital food lifestyle brand Tastemade, which has a significant presence on Snapchat. Tastemade itself is a member of the growing trend towards digital food brands, of which Buzzfeed?s uber-popular Tasty brand is also a part.

A press release also hints at an ?exclusive retail partnership,? as well as a summer kickoff, which is sure to incorporate summer cocktails into 7Up?s wheelhouse.

7Up?s campaign could be construed as a direct response to the digital maneuvers from PepsiCo, who owns its brand rights only outside of the U.S. This week was also host to Mountain Dew?s new brand campaign, which required teaming up with a number of NBA stars for a series of engagements, from video to social media, all hosted through a mobile-optimized hub (see story). 

And just last week, this publication noted that PepsiCo's annual sponsorship of the Super Bowl Half Time show was among some, but not many, that effectively tapped social media and mobile for unique interactive elements that leveraged live-streams, paid social advertising and giveaways (see story).

"We?re seeing an insurgence of micro-channels and micro-influencers gaining prominence as they help individuals cut through the clutter and find relevant opportunities and address their specific needs," Mr. Becker said. "Marketers can align with these channels and influencers to directly engage people that may care about their product and offering. 

"These marketers understand that less ? a more targeted audience ? is more; to be successful in these channels requires that marketers have a keen understanding of the individuals they wish to engage and serve."