Culligan hires Highdive to lead global campaign—behind the strategy

As Culligan continues to move past its “Hey, Culligan Man” origins, the water filtration company has brought on a fresh set of agency partners. The Rosemont, Illinois-based Culligan has hired Highdive, based in nearby Chicago, to lead its first global brand platform and campaign, as well as creative for certain product lines. Culligan also enlisted Zeno Group to handle PR efforts moving forward. NextGen Marketing Summit Join us for a crash course on Gen Z, DTC marketing and the creator economy Register today The appointments follow a review initiated in the early months of the year by Chief Marketing Officer Patricia Pieretti, who joined Culligan last year after working at SharkNinja. During her time at Culligan, she has tried to help the 88-year-old company capitalize on consumers’ interest in hydration and sustainability amid a wave of new water bottle brands. Culligan’s new tagline, “Water you love,” was developed under Pieretti and is meant to modernize the company and move it away from the 1950s “Culligan Man.” “We want to continue to create awareness and bring Culligan to everyone in a way that is thoughtful and sustainable,” said Pieretti. Highdive and Zeno will work with the marketing teams and agencies at Culligan’s 40 business units around the world and lead their global creative and PR efforts. A lot of the work will be around education. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Culligan (@heyculligan) “Culligan doesn’t get credit for a lot of the things they do and a lot of water they touch,” said Mark Gross, co-founder and co-chief creative officer at Highdive. “Creatively, it’s a turning point—they really want to put themselves on the map and become the go to household name for all things water.” Such cultural designation is already in the works. Last month, Culligan announced a multi-year partnership as the exclusive water partner for Chicago’s United Center arena, the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago Blackhawks. Culligan-branded recyclable aluminum bottles are now for sale at concession stands around the arena where the NBA and NHL teams play; customers can purchase the bottles, refill them at Culligan water fountains and recycle them in bins at the arena. In a similar move to eliminate single-use plastic, Culligan earlier this month supplied water bottles at the finish line of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. “We are not just talking about a brand partnership,” Pieretti said. “It’s how can we offer water solutions across the stadium that are Culligan, while at the same time reducing single-use plastic bottles and making sure the brands work together to meet that need of better, safer water.” The new initiatives also recognize the growing appeal of sustainable solutions for younger generations, particularly Gen Z. Gross noted that 15 years ago, few people considered water bottles and shower water purifiers; however, as awareness of clean water has increased, these products have become increasingly common. Culligan has to “join and control that conversation,” he said. The company, which was acquired by BDT Capital Partners three years ago, also owns brands including Quench and Waterlogic. The first global creative work from Highdive will debut in early 2025. It will include upper funnel work, digital video and social media as Culligan seeks to infuse itself into culture. Culligan is also assessing its media strategy, which may include bringing in new partners to work with its in-house team, Pieretti said. Earlier this year, she noted that the global work will be double what Culligan has previously spent on regional campaigns. Last year, Culligan spent $16 million on measured media in the U.S., a decline from 2022’s $24 million, according to Vivvix, including paid social data from Pathmatics. Agency Review Tracker Stay up to date with the latest account reviews Click here

Culligan hires Highdive to lead global campaign—behind the strategy

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