Clearly Canadian is using a celebrity backed promotional push to target an audience of “new nostalgics” as it looks to reclaim its place in the sparkling-water market.

A new minute-long video starring Shania Twain and created by Ryan Reynolds’s production company Maximum Effort marks the brand’s first ad campaign since 1991. Launched last week, the humorous stunt-laden spot follows Twain as she tracks down bottles of Clearly Canadian on a fast-paced journey through the B.C. wilderness and ends with the tag, “Clearly Canadian is back.”

Founded in 1987, Clearly Canadian experienced rapid growth during the early 1990s before production dwindled in the later stages of the decade and through the 2000s. The company eventually filed for bankruptcy in 2010, but the brand began to re-emerge through a crowdfunding campaign in 2015. Since its 2017 retail relaunch, Clearly Canadian has introduced zero-sugar and unsweetened options and launched a canned version alongside its classic glass bottle.

Clearly Canadian CMO Jennifer Blackburn tells strategy that, for the new campaign, the marketing team focused in on a demographic of “new nostalgics,” which the brand defines as a group between the ages of 30 and 50 that grew up with the product and now sees it through a lens of wellness, simplicity and joy.

“It’s one of those rare brands that evokes powerful nostalgia and emotional connection,” Blackburn says. “Our primary goal was to reassert Clearly Canadian’s place in the beverage conversation … That meant focusing on brand awareness, but also on emotional resonance. We wanted people to say: ‘I remember this!’ and ‘Wait, I can get this again?'”

The new campaign is the company’s largest marketing investment since its relaunch, Blackburn says.

“While we’ve been scrappy and community-driven in recent years, this push marks a strategic evolution: We’re investing with purpose and discipline to drive long-term brand equity and scale,” Blackburn says. “That said, we’re still careful to approach every dollar with the creativity and accountability of a challenger brand.”

Campaign success will be measured through metrics such as brand lift, unaided awareness, retail velocity and e-commerce growth, Blackburn says. Social engagement and earned media will also be tracked.

Jan Kelley led media strategy and execution. Yellow House Consulting worked on social and influencer, Buzzphoria handled PR for Clearly Canadian, and The Lede Company supported Maximum Effort, which led the creative.

The work is running across on YouTube, Meta and Amazon Prime Video in Canada and select U.S. markets and includes social media, influencer, earned media and PR activations.

“We see this campaign as the launchpad for a broader, long-term platform that re-establishes Clearly Canadian as both an iconic brand and a modern beverage choice,” Blackburn says. “There’s more to come – new innovations, seasonal creative, partnerships and deeper storytelling across channels.”