Vitamin Water is spreading Olympic spirit online, on pack and in-store to leverage its sponsorship of the 2010 Winter Games.
The Coca-Cola brand, which launched in Canada in June 2008, has partnered with six Olympic athletes, pairing each one with an existing flavour. The copy on the bottle has been revised to reflect their personalities, the Games and the fans. The Olympic rings will also appear on the label.
“We couldn’t ask for a better opportunity to showcase our brand at such a diverse and exciting time for Canada,” said Daniella Macri, buzz marketing manager of Glacéau Canada, Toronto.
The athletes include freestyle mogul skier Jenn Heil, speed skater Denny Morrison, bobsledder Helen Upperton, cross-country skier Brian McKeever as well as snowboarders Michael Lambert and Dominique Maltais.
Point-of-sale materials and a viral video newscast from Cleveland-based Brokaw, promote the sponsorship. A Ron Burgundy-like broadcaster introduces each athlete and their respective flavour during the two-minute video.
The clip can be view via AOL Video, YouTube and Digg. The athletes have also posted the video on their personal websites and Twitter pages, said Macri.
“We didn’t want to just issue a standard press release,” she said. “We really wanted to create something that showed our personality and to create something that will build up some buzz for our athletes.”
Within the next month the brand intends to launch an Olympic-inspired Facebook fanpage, which will include the video as well as interactive applications.
Vitamin Water will be available at various venues and locations throughout the Olympic village.
