Smartwater partnering with Gal Gadot for new ad push, product expansion

With its product line set to grow this year, Smartwater is partnering with “Wonder Woman” star Gal Gadot and producing more types of ads than ever as part of a media investment that amounts to the largest marketing campaign in the Coca-Cola-owned brand’s history. Handled by Anomaly New York, the brand’s exhaustive advertising efforts will largely be centered around its expanding offerings, with four new flavored water varieties set to roll out in 2020: Cucumber Lime, Strawberry Blackberry, Pineapple Kiwi and Watermelon Mint. “This is the biggest year for Smartwater since the launch,” says Celina Li, VP of Water for Coca-Cola North America. Founded in 1996, Smartwater long offered just one product: its classic, unflavored premium still water. But since 2015, the brand has debuted sparkling, flavored, and alkaline and antioxidant-infused variants in a trend that follows the beverage industry’s recent innovative streak. “Consumers are drinking more water, but are also demanding more from their water,” Li says, noting a sales boom for “functional” beverages. To promote the brand’s four new fruity, zero-calorie flavors, which are inspired by the “essence” of spa water, Smartwater will release a 30-second ad starring Gadot, who is now acting as “the face of the brand,” Li says. In the spot, which was also cut into a 15-second version, Gadot’s only reprieve from a hectic street scene is to take a sip of Pineapple Kiwi Smartwater. “Take a moment … to be in the moment,” she says, slowing time as she drinks. “We are really thrilled to partner with [Gadot]. She has taken a ‘Smartwater approach’ to her well-being, and she is a great partner to bring our brand to life,” Li added, saying Gadot will appear in various marketing materials throughout the year. The Gadot partnership is the latest and perhaps most noteworthy in a growing list of high-profile talent deals the brand has struck with celebrities. Last year, Smartwater enlisted NBA All-Star Ben Simmons to hype its then-new antioxidant and alkaline water varieties, which are both promoted with an emphasis on athletic performance. Smartwater’s marketing plans for 2020 run the gamut of advertising methods for its various products, says Mike McGarry, the group director of Integrated Marketing Content for Coca-Cola’s still beverage portfolio. This year, Smartwater will look to experiential, social, digital and out-of-home ads, among others, to promote its new and original offerings. The brand also plans to air its inaugural TV commercial later this year, McGarry confirmed. The Smartwater brand accounts for roughly one-third of Coca-Cola’s North American water sales and two-thirds of the category’s growth, with the beverage giant continuing to cash in on H2O (in March, CCNA will release Aha, a new sparkling water label to compete with PepsiCo’s Bubly).

Smartwater partnering with Gal Gadot for new ad push, product expansion

Featured Stories