Steph Curry-backed water brand honors frontline workers on social

Brief:

Oxigen, the bottled water brand that recently added NBA star Stephen Curry as an investor and brand ambassador, launched an omnichannel campaign to honor frontline workers during the coronavirus pandemic. The "Recover + Rise" campaign highlights five people who have helped their communities and neighbors, per an announcement.
Oxigen is challenging users to shared their "Recover + Rise" stories by uploading photos and videos to social media for a chance to win $5,000 to donate to a charity of their choice. The posts must include the @drinkoxigen handle and #recoverandrise hashtag to enter. Oxigen will choose a winner each month during the campaign.
The social media-centered campaign also will run on connected TV (CTV), digital out-of-home (DOOH) and networks including ESPN. The brand also is collaborating with media outlets such as The Washington Post, Refinery29, Vice and Bleacher Report on the effort to honor frontline workers.

Insight:

Oxigen's omnichannel campaign is likely to see the greatest engagement on social media, which provides a way for people to participate in the effort to honor frontline workers. By giving people an incentive to create content on social media with the possibility of winning $5,000 for a charity, the campaign has a greater likelihood of extending its reach among a bigger audience. With 75% of people saying they won't create user-generated content (UGC) for a brand, according to a recent study, such incentives are necessary to urge a wider group of social media users to participate in the hashtag challenge.

By creating a cause-drive campaign, Oxigen aims to position itself as a lifestyle brand that also cares about helping consumers and communities. The message is more likely to connect with health-conscious consumers who are heavy users of social media and tend to favor brands that support causes. That sentiment has inspired a variety of brands to include social causes in recent campaigns.

Among the more recent examples, software maker Adobe last month released digital photography tools to inspire mobile users to share messaging about climate change and pollution. The same month Hellmann's Canada created a virtual island in the hit video game "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" to urge people to turn their digital food waste into donations for real people in need.

The campaign is one of the first signs of Stephen Curry's investment in Oxigen Brands, which markets the oxygen-enriched water. Oxigen was rebranded from Formula Four last year, and has experienced 400% sales growth in the past three years. Oxigen is now available in 45,000 stores throughout the U.S. and recently secured distribution at major retail chains including Kroger and CVS Pharmacy, Forbes magazine reported.