The colorful cans of bubly sparkling water & witty tabs with no calories or sweeteners have always encouraged fans to crack a smile & celebrate freedom of expression. At its core, bubly’s purpose has been to promote inclusivity through playful positivity. Over the years, they have championed the LGBTQ+ path to parenthood by partnering with organizations like Family Equality and have worked to shed light on the importance of LGBTQ+ chosen families in partnership with The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative.
With the ambition of continuing to build equity within the LGTBQ+ community, bubly elevated their 3-year running partnership with RuPaul’s Drag Race (RPDR). The Drag Race community is a family in its own right & bubly was inspired to bring them together through content that celebrates their shared values.
We did this by giving fans a 360-integrated program with the first-ever RPDR digital & physical board game. bubly’s goal was to reach fans in new & engaging ways across multiple channels while solidifying the brand’s commitment to the LGBTQ+ community.
Partnership magic and success doesn’t last forever, particularly with thousands of content pieces to choose from each day. We needed to combat the growing content fatigue of bubly’s years-long partnership and keep sustained attention with our audience.
So, how did bubly do it? By bringing the realness to RPDR fans and breaking the dawn with our partnership.
SIP AND SLAY
RPDR fans love interactive, humorous, and playful dance content! The brand launched the S14 partnership with custom linear & social vignettes, including a CTA for fans to #sipandslay with bubly on TikTok & Instagram. Franchise regular & former bubly partner, Todrick Hall, choreographed & taught former RPDR fan-favorite Queens, Mo Heart, Denali, & Gottmik the steps. Wearing outfits embodying the cherry, passionfruit, & coconut pineapple bubly flavors, the Queens were snatched for the Drag GODS. Mimicking the RPDR dance challenge format, the custom videos showcased the rehearsal & colorful finished performance.
RACE TO THE CROWN
bubly created the first-ever RPDR digital & physical board game, “Race to the Crown.” The digital game focused on RPDR trivia while bubly “shantayed” across the user experience. The virtual environment included 3D renderings of bubly cans and a bubly challenge that unlocked another roll of the die. Fans at the top of the leaderboard were rewarded with an exclusive physical “Race to the Crown” board game featuring a bubly prize pack with products, wigs, & microphones. To drive awareness of the “Race to the Crown” game, bubly tapped Mo Heart to star in a custom vignette that aired on social & linear to encourage stans to test their RPDR herstory.
CRACK A SMILE
To further weave bubly into the fabric of RPDR S14, the brand was integral to a mini challenge & a finale integration that included sparkling hero visuals & brand messaging. During the mini-challenge, RuPaul tasked the Queens to make him “crack a smile” & design “wearable pop art” using colorful bubble wrap inspired by the bubly flavors. The program culminated with the finale integration, where the brand debuted it's new “see the bubly side” messaging, highlighting the positive side of everyday situations. Show host Michelle Visage introduced a performance of RuPaul’s song, “Losing is the New Winning,” where former RPDR contestants lip-synced and glided along the Vegas stage, powerfully demonstrating the silver linings to losing the competition.
Brand lifts were exponentially higher than in previous years throughout the partnership:
Positive association of bubly Sparkling Water and its perceived inclusivity grew significantly amongst viewers:
Viewers exposed to the partnership overwhelmingly thought it was a collaboration that fit and had value:
