Owning Honesty in a World Filled With Clichés. 

Refreshing. It’s a word that most soft drink companies aren’t afraid to use. Over and over again. So when Lipton Ice Tea asked us to help launch their new soft drink, a lightly sparkling alternative that’s naturally refreshing thanks to real ice tea, we realised that we had a drink that could actually make this claim.

But with our target set on the young, advertising savvy consumer we knew they would see right through another soft drink’s claims of being more ‘refreshing.’

By poking fun at soft drink marketing clichés, including the overuse of the ‘R’ word itself, Refreshingly Refreshing is a campaign that introduces Lipton Ice Tea Sparkling as a drink that’s refreshing in both attitude and taste. After all, selling soft drinks shouldn’t be about promising world peace.

The Launch

On the back of one of Unilever Australia’s biggest ever outdoor media buys the launch focused on those overused brand promises and claims, and championed the product to ensure strong brand recall. 

Do the opposite.

We did all of the things other soft drink companies do, just differently. Instead of sponsoring a sports team, we took a less conventional route and sponsored billboards and bus shelters. 

Other tactical executions included a cheeky dig at our biggest competitor, strategically placed just down the road from their permanent billboard in Kings Cross. 

The Story Continues…

Following on from the launch we continued to shine the light on other brands by introducing one of the other great soft drink clichés; the product and model pose. By shamelessly acknowledging our flaws we not only poked fun at the category but also helped define who we are.

Non-Celebrity Endorsement

While other brands are using celebrities to peddle their product, in true Refreshingly Refreshing style we used Non-Celebrities; also known as real people. We invited our consumers to become a part of our brand story through an Instagram promotion that gave them the opportunity to star on their very own billboard. 

Over the course of 6-months the Refreshingly Refreshing campaign’s cheeky and honest approach resonated with our target and created something that could be embraced and shared. The campaign succeeded in cutting through a crowded category and gaining share of voice amongst more established players.  

This billboard received over 78,000 reblogs after being posted on tumblr.