Bubly’s latest sparkling water flavour is named in honour of its pitchman, singer Michael Bublé.
The “Merry Berry Bublé Holiday Launch” pays a playful tribute to the ongoing joke between the PepsiCo brand and the singer about the correct pronunciation of the beverage.
“After years and years of correcting cans of Bubly, they’ve finally given in and accepted that it should actually be spelled Bublé,” says Michael Bublé in a press release announcing the new drink. “Finally, a can that is actually spelled right.”
Lourdes Seminario, senior marketing director of hydration at PepsiCo Canada, adds: “We’re always cracking jokes that Michael is never going to give up with his hilarious antics of continuously changing ‘Bubly to Bublé. We thought it was only fitting, at the pinnacle of the holiday season, to gift Michael Bublé his very own flavour.”
The new flavour includes hints of raspberries, blackberries and strawberries, and is available in stores in 12-pack cases for a limited time. The packaging is designed to resemble a classic knitted sweater and the can tab features “ho ho.”
The campaign features a limited-time knitwear collection that includes sweaters, toques and socks, available at the Bubly Sparking Water website – where mocktail ideas can also be found.
It also includes a five-week, interactive holiday pop-up tour, taking place in 10 cities across the country until Dec. 17. The pop-up features the knitwear collection, a life-sized smile photo wall and sampling stations. Bublé himself will appear at the Toronto Eaton Centre pop-up on Nov. 23 and give out signed cans to fans.
Seminario adds that the activities are being shared via social media through the brand’s own pages and on Bublé’s social pages, and OOH is being leveraged in select cities and malls to drive awareness.
PepsiCo and the singer have worked together since 2019, when they first teamed up for the Bubly with Bublé Super Bowl ad. More recently, he promoted Bubly products for SodaStream .
Agencies involved with the campaign included Motive, media agency OMD, Praxis, TreeTop and ShakerMaker.
