Millennials at the Core of Brisk’s New Ad Campaign

PURCHASE, N.Y. -- Brisk Iced Tea, a brand of PepsiCo. Inc., kicked off a new marketing campaign aimed at reaching its target consumer of urban, male Millennials. The initiative celebrates the launch of Brisk's Half & Half line and also marks the next phase of the Brisk Bodega platform.

The "Not Half Bad” campaign complements the new product line, which is designed to be a “Millennial twist on the iconic, old-timey tea and lemonade combination,” widely known as an Arnold Palmer. Now available nationwide, the Half & Half line includes Iced Tea & Lemonade, Iced Tea & Cherry Limeade, and Iced Tea & Tropical Lemonade varieties.

The campaign's ads, which proclaim the tagline “It’s Not Half Bad,” forewent the traditional production process and instead enlisted real people from the brand's core consumer base and asked for their reactions to the newest flavor additions to the Brisk lineup.

“Our approach for engaging with our target hinges on co-creation and self-expression. Not only are we involving our target in our ad creative, but we’re operating under these principles across all platforms,” said Eric Whitehouse, director of marketing for Brisk Iced Tea.

The "Not Half Bad” campaign includes radio, out-of-home advertising, mobile and digital, as well as an under-the-cap/under-the-tab promotion that will begin May 19. Prizes will include more than 4,000 custom premiums, and one grand-prize winner will have a chance to win a 2014 Chevy Avalanche with a custom paint job by urban apparel brand Crooks & Castles.

“Not Half Bad” launches on the heels of the BriskBodega.com digital portal, which offers original and curated content, including access to music, a behind-the-scenes look at the Brisk Bodega tour, and a loyalty program with incentives such as premium headphones and custom watches.

“This new direction is refreshingly honest,” said Whitehouse. “We’re not trying to be louder than all of the brands around us — we’re connecting with our fans in an authentic and relatable way, and letting the consumers and products speak for themselves.”

The new stripped-down, honest direction stems from deep ethnographic research on the Millennial demographic conducted by Brisk. Insights from this research are being infused into all 2014 activations. 

Brisk celebrated the launch of its Half & Half line at the recent South by Southwest musical festival with an exclusive event featuring Roc Nation artists DJ Mustard, YG and Deniro Farrar.

The Brisk Half & Half line is available in 24-ounce cans and 1-liter bottles.