Bubly's dazzling Pride ad welcomes back NYC nightlife
The sparkling water brand collaborated with local LGBTQ+ artists to create vibrant film in time for Pride Month
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Today, Bubly joins the ranks of Pride campaigns to center LGBTQ+ voices, like those from Skittles and Burger King. But Bubly’s version comes with a unique twist. The sparkling water brand is laser-focusing its June advertising on promoting and giving back to New York City’s iconic nightlife scene as it reopens—coincidentally the day after New York dropped most COVID restrictions.
Bubly partnered with past collaborator Pride Media for the spot, tapping local NYC queer artists for roles in front of and behind the camera.
Director and producer Austin Nunes captures a joyful night out in the city with neon-lit style, set to “Higher” by Vincint and Alex Newell. Promoter Terence Edgerson welcomes viewers into what until now had been an empty nightclub, where “RuPaul’s Drag Race” winner Aquaria slides across the stage in a split. Model Gia Love struts and twirls across the dancefloor and DJ Ty Sunderland works the turntable.
The video also features Lisa Cannistraci, owner of the historic NYC lesbian bar Henrietta Hudson, mixing a cocktail (a mixture of champagne, fruit and Bubly’s blood orange grapefuit flavored beverage). For Bubly’s “Out at Night” campaign, the PepsiCo-owned brand will donate $15,000 to help the local establishment—only one of fifteen lesbian bars left in the country— recover from the pandemic.
Bubly’s hyper-focused immersion into a specific queer community for both its marketing campaign and financial contribution is a refreshing change of pace from other Pride campaigns. While other brands commit portions of their June earnings to LGBTQ+ charities, Bubly’s donation to a legendary aspect of NYC’s queer culture is a distinctive extension of the brand’s continuous engagement with gay personalities in its marketing.
As part of the “Out at Night” campaign, Bubly is also hosting a contest with Pride-themed prizes. Fans 18+ in New York, New Jersey or Connecticut can use the hashtag “#BublyOutAtNightNYC” on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook for a chance to win one of three experiences: a plot at The Greens Rooftop at Pier 17 for Drag Brunch; VIP treatment at the Bubly Night Out party at the PHD Rooftop at Dream Downtown; or a weekend stay at the new Rainbow Suite by Bubly at the Foxwoods Resort Casino.
In April, Bubly also partnered with Family Equity to publish “The Path to Parenthood: LGBTQ+ Edition,” a book to guide current and soon-to-be parents through the journey of raising an LGBTQ+-friendly family, created out of TBWA/Chiat/Day New York.
