Wilda, a natural alcohol beverage producer based in Ontario’s Prince Edward County, is making the case for “Damp January” instead of Dry January, when people typically abstain from alcohol after indulging during the holidays.

The “Damp January” campaign launched with an opinion piece in The Globe and Mail written by Wilda co-founder Benjamin Leszcz, making the argument that moderate social drinking contributes to healthy social connections and helps stave off loneliness.

“It’s my position as a founder of a beverage company that gives me expertise in the subject,” Leszcz says. “The essay itself is eclectic in the sources that it draws on. It’s not intended to come across as medical advice, so much as a synthesis of historical, sociological, ethnographic, and some scientific and certainly some social scientific data that supports this idea.”

The second part of the campaign launches on Jan. 17. Leszcz says that as a “scrappy and lean” start-up, Wilda opted for an owned media strategy that will roll out via social media. A series of simple and eye-catching graphics, each featuring two words, advocate for social activities rather than ones typically done alone. A second series of assets encourage consumers to meet a friend and support their local bars and restaurants. It’s been shared with Wilda’s 200 partners across Ontario, to create a “meaningful, multiplier effect,” Leszcz says.

“Dry January launched in the U.K. a decade ago and is a juggernaut,” Leszcz says.

“Our expression of ‘Damp January’ is how people should drink all year round. We’re taking the opportunity for more mindful and more purposeful drinking, and taking this month to rethink our relationship with alcohol, which is more than what Dry January asks for. We’re advocating for a lifestyle that is moderate and sustainable.”

The campaign was developed in-house by Wilda. Before launching the beverage company in 2022, which includes an apiary and a farmhouse that serves as a vacation rental on its 15-acre property, Leszcz was a partner at the design studio Whitman Emorson, and Wilda co-founder Mike Mills was a co-founder and the president of creative advertising agency Studio M.

Last year, Leszcz advocated for declaring a “Picnic Day,” a municipal holiday to commemorate the day when alcohol was first allowed in Toronto public parks, and to encourage locals to spend time outdoors socializing. Wilda also voluntarily proposed including consumer advisory labels on their products – which would contain units of alcohol, ingredients and the product’s carbon footprint – on all of its alcoholic beverages, and is awaiting Health Canada’s response.