Coca-Cola’s Vitaminwater is rolling out a new flavour for summer. To get people sipping, the brand is banking on a 360-degree push, with a heavy emphasis on in-store signage and sampling.

Shine is a mix of watermelon and pink grapefruit, tapping into the growing popularity of those two fruits. It also offers drinkers a dose of vitamin D, which Daniella Macri, brand manager, says is the only enhanced water beverage on the Canadian market offering that vitamin (despite our long winters that often deprive us of the necessary goodness).

The overarching campaign is part of the brand’s ongoing “Think+Do+Drink” push, launched last year. This year’s ads, running largely on OOH, through wild postings (that passersby can rip off and take home, should they choose) and on social, tapped four visual artists to create works of art around the brand. The broader mass campaign targets millennials and young entrepreneurs, she says.

In stores, the POS material by the Hive will put a heavy emphasis on Shine and encourage consumers to give the drink a try. During Pride week in Toronto, the brand will also work with a number of stores along the parade path to display in-store signage that features art from the OOH push, Macri says.

While the brand offered little guidance in terms of art, she says they were pleasantly surprised by the message from Madison van Rign, which states “Do what (and who) you love,” and thought it was a great fit for the event.

The brand, with its rainbow-hue flavours, has always been a supporter of the LGBT community and often tries to be on the ground during these types of festivals, she adds (though it is not a sponsor of Pride).

Sampling, handled by Mosaic (along with experiential activations) is an important part of the brand’s strategy for launching the new flavour, she says. Vitaminwater has had success in the past through this type of initiative, and she suspects that once people give Shine a try, they’ll come back for more.

As such, the brand is kicking off a big sampling push at the upcoming WayHome Music & Arts Festival. It’ll be the second year the brand has a presence, and this year’s new experiential push encourages people to refresh the body inside and out. Crafting stations will be set up, as will a refreshing, sprinkler-type system to help concert-goers cool off (she was reluctant to give away too many details ahead of the July event). The brand will also dish out free bottles at the concert, as well as in camping areas.

The brand also partnered with UberEats to distribute Shine to those ordering food on the “sunniest day of the year,” June 21, she says. 

The broader media campaign (with creative from Sid Lee and media by UM) originally kicked off in April, and will run throughout the summer in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal. It’s also supported by a new music video from YouTuber Andrew Huang, who developed the song specifically for the flavour. The song went live back in May, and has since racked up more than 31,000 views on the platform.

While the drink itself offers consumers a dose of vitamin D, Macri says there are no immediate plans to market the drink through the winter, as the bulk of activities are focused on the upcoming summer season.