Dive Brief:
- Brisk, a tea brand managed by PepsiCo and Unilever, is launching a new campaign in partnership with Universal Pictures' new movie, "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw," according to a press release shared with Marketing Dive. For the campaign, the brand asked for ideas from aspiring filmmakers to create a new digital ad for a limited edition of Brisk Iced Tea. The cans, branded "Cans of Whup Ass," are named after a line spoken by actor Dwayne Johnson in the movie's trailer.
- The winning ad concept was developed by creator Evans Alexandre, and the resulting ad stars WWE Superstar and actor Roman Reigns, who is featured in the film. In addition to designing and developing the ad, Alexandre received a summer mentorship with "Hobbs & Shaw" director David Leitch and an unspecified Brisk grant for "creative pursuits." The campaign also includes "Hobbs & Shaw" labels on three kinds of Brisk tea.
- Cans of the limited edition tea will be available to consumers via sweepstakes, via Brisk social media, at pop culture conference ComplexCon in Chicago later this month and at selected retail events and showings of the movie. Exclusive content from the "Hobbs & Shaw" creators is available to fans who text "BRISK" to 797979, which also enters them into a sweepstakes to win tickets to the film.
Dive Insight:
By inviting creators to imagine a new digital ad, Brisk is tapping into the growing movement of user-generated content, but at a professional level. In doing so, the brand finds new creative talent, encourages other creative talent to begin thinking of ways to present its products and spreads the word that it is interested in cultivating its fans. The brand undertook a similar effort last year with an arts program that it launched in tandem with a campaign around "Black Panther."
Adobe previously took a similar approach, holding a #MoviePosterMovie contest where college students were asked to design a movie poster. A Boston University student created the winning poster, which contained six images — including a phone, a pair of scissors and a lit candle — and the title. In a reversal of normal movie-making, where the poster comes after the film is imagined, an 11-minute spoof of influencers was inspired by the poster and directed by actor/director Zach Braff.
Similarly, Burger King recently crowd-sourced innovative prank ideas for April Fools' Day, while Diageo, maker of Smirnoff vodka, asked its fans for ideas for celebrating the Fourth of July.
The Brisk campaign also includes limited-edition packaging that is inspired by a media tie-in and can be won via a variety of channels, including social media and at a pop-up event. Such limited-edition packaging has been used by brands to drive engagement and product interest, as Mtn Dew did with its brandless "Game of Thrones" cans. Furthermore, Brisk's addition of an SMS element can yield consumer information in exchange for "Hobbs & Shaw" content.
