Danone's Volvic raises the bar with Dry January giveaway

Dive Brief:

Danone's Volvic brand is giving people a chance to win a month's supply of its bottled mineral water to help them with their New Year's resolutions to lead a healthier lifestyle by avoiding alcohol for a month. Winners can observe Dry January by replacing their "wet bar" with a "dry bar," according to an announcement emailed to Marketing Dive.
Volvic is asking people to share posts on Instagram that explain their new habits or recipes helping them keep their resolutions, and tag them with the @Volvic_USA handle and #VolvicStrongJan hashtag. The brand will select winners to receive the water and "help start the year on the right foot," per the announcement.
The campaign comes as a variety beverage brands ramp up their Dry January efforts by offering alternatives to alcoholic drinks or urging moderation. Nonprofit group Alcohol Change U.K. started the Dry January movement in 2013 as a public health campaign. It caught on in the U.S. as more millennials participate in the "sober curious" movement, according to Nielsen's market research.

Dive Insight:

Volvic seeks to boost its Instagram following with a campaign timed with the approach of Dry January, a movement that has gained traction among younger adults who tend to demonstrate healthier eating habits than older demographic groups. Volvic has about 1,600 followers on Instagram, giving the brand much more room for growth as people engage with its account for a chance to win a month's supply of bottled water. As Instagram users share their ideas for healthier living, the campaign has a higher chance of going viral, helping to reach consumers who may be most loyal to the brand.

The Danone-owned brand is the latest to develop a campaign for Dry January as the movement gains momentum. Alcohol brands also have participated in the efforts, as seen this year with the campaign for Miller64, the low-calorie beer marketed by Molson Coors. The video campaign asked people to consider a "Dry-ish January" by having a beer with lower alcohol content. Heineken later ran a campaign for its non-alcoholic beer that was tied to a James Bond film, whose release date later was delayed twice because of the pandemic. Amid the push for moderation, wine and spirits marketer Diageo this month launched a campaign on Instagram to promote water sustainability while swapping an alcoholic drink with water.

While Volvic's latest campaign focuses on personal wellness and healthy living, a previous effort from the Danone brand centered on the environment. As part of the "Thirsty for Action" global marketing campaign, Volvic gave out grants to organizations working on environmental protection and preservation, and planned to feature them in its global media for a year. With its Dry January campaign, Volvic continues its purpose-driven marketing efforts into 2021.

The pandemic has had mixed effects on the bottled water business, with pantry stocking and panic buying by U.S. consumers driving a surge in sales in spring and early summer. Danone later reported that bottled water sales had fallen in Europe because lockdowns on restaurants and cafes dampened on-premise sales, Reuters reported. The company's sales of bottled water fell 14% to about €1.02 billion in Q3 from a year earlier, a slight improvement from the 28% decline in the prior quarter. On-premise bottled water sales aren't likely to improve until consumers feel more comfortable about dining out and lockdowns are lifted in many regions worldwide.