Welcome back everyone!

Hard to believe it’s been a week already, but you know what that means! It’s time to drill down into another popular ad campaign.

How can water be bold…

After digging through a list I had compiled, I decided to once again highlight a more recently launched campaign; this time it’s one from the company known as Sparkling Ice. We’re treading familiar territory here with our previous look at another water company using babies to boost sales.

For those taking a casual stroll down the water aisle, at some point you may have noticed a beverage boasting zero calorie fruity flavors in a fizzy drink. These colorful Sparkling Ice bottles have captivated the U.S.A. since 1992 and purport to be a healthy alternative to sodas.

While the health aspect of Sparkling Ice is a hotly debated topic, there’s no doubting the beverage has become a powerhouse for their parent company, Talking Rain.

Sparkling Ice leaned heavily on their “No Calorie” experience and wide variety of flavours to lure those looking for a healthier alternative to diet sodas to their customer base. It attracted customers who were scared by reports of diet sodas being dangerous for their health and those looking to experience something new instead of the same old cola flavor.

The company did alright on limited exposure for a while, with drink recipes on their youtube for partygoers looking for a new experience and just by using the product to sell itself with a few ads here and there. However, a strategy change brewed behind their doors.

What came out of that mysterious meeting?

I’ll let the results speak for themselves.

I’m not sure if there is a single thing I can pinpoint that makes this ad so perfect. The minimalist set designs, the premise of the commercial, the childlike enthusiasm of the fruit-covered duo when talking to their boss; all of these things lend themselves to a wonderful ad.

However, It doesn’t end there.

Sparkling Ice went on to produce several more commercials featuring the newly developed, fruit-covered duo, including my personal favorite:

I personally love to see the antics this duo comes up with. Even though the enthusiastic ideas may be a little over the top, they show such childlike glee to their boss. The boss playing the straight man to their comedy is a trope that has been played before, however it is refreshing in this variety.

So, what exactly makes this a killer ad campaign and how can we attribute that to ICOs?

It’s time to pull out the notepad and see what we can learn from these commercials.

Keep in mind that I’m a big proponent of having fun in advertising, rather than keeping things stern. Appealing to humor and lifestyle are some of the quickest ways to grab a customer’s attention and should be the starting point for any successful campaign.

Keep it minimal.

It’s important to note that the team behind Sparkling Ice used simple props to create their humor. They used what was on hand or what could be gathered on a quick grocery store run. You could reasonably recreate these same commercials with a few friends and a $100 budget.

It doesn’t take much to create a memorable experience.

Keep it short.

I’d like to draw attention to the length of these ads. Notice how they are all within the 15–30 second mark?

Attention spans are incredibly short and even more so on the internet. No one has time to sit down and watch a 3–10 minute video during a busy day.

You’ll need to catch their attention quickly, give them a way to look for more information, then let them discover more on their own. This is a great opportunity to point them to your website and Telegram community, as the customer will already be looking for more information on your company.

Act wisely.

Remember, not every idea is a great one. I can almost feel for the boss having to suffer the antics of the duo. He knows their heart is in the right place, but they really take things to extremes.

Make sure your ads fit in with your brand and learn the limitations of your advertising. In this situation, you want to be the boss from these commercials. This holds especially true when talking to your community and accepting their ideas. Not every idea is going to be a fit for you despite the best of intentions.

Call in the troops when you need to.

This is where having a good community management team comes into play. Your all star advertising team’s main function is to bring in the customer, then it falls on your community management team to bring them into the fold and really become immersed in your product.

If you don’t have a strong team on the front lines, the effectiveness of any campaign drops dramatically. Keep your troops happy and well fed with info, and they’ll keep your customers happy. If you’re looking for a good starting point, check out our first article where we highlighted some of the best community management tips.