Ontario-based alcoholic spritzer brand Wilda, has launched a “damp January” campaign encouraging consumers to opt for moderate, social drinking over sober seclusion.
The owned media campaign builds off of insights from a Globe and Mail op-ed written by Wida’s co-founder Ben Leszcz, “A call for Damp January - or why connected people are happy people.” The essay argues that alcoholic abstinence encourages people to stay indoors when they should be seeking connection to combat loneliness, whereas low ABV products allow consumers to participate in social gatherings without over-consumption.
The owned media campaign builds off of insights from a Globe and Mail op-ed written by Wida’s co-founder Ben Leszcz, “A call for Damp January - or why connected people are happy people.” The essay argues that alcoholic abstinence encourages people to stay indoors when they should be seeking connection to combat loneliness, whereas low ABV products allow consumers to participate in social gatherings without over-consumption.
The assets include a series of statics for social media with clever headlines that encourage social drinking like
“Bowling>Scrolling” and “Cheers>Tears,” as well as call-outs to partner establishments in Toronto that sell Wilda products. Leszcz hopes the creatives will encourage Torontonians to get out of the house and support local bars and restaurants. “The campaign aims at conveying our simple rule about drinking, which is at the heart of our company’s values: Drink natural drinks, in moderation, with friends,” he told The Message. Wilda positions its brand as "low-alcohol drinks that are better for people and better for the planet." It offers one spritzer that is 4% alc./vol and another that is 2.5% ABV. White Claw, a giant of the hard seltzer category, is 5% ABV.
Wilda produced the campaign material in-house, pulling on Leszcz’ past experience as head of strategy at the design studio Whitman Emorson, and co-founder Mike Mills’ former role as president of Studio M.
As a brand, they’re experts at embedding themselves in social commentary, landing earned media placements in publications like Toronto Life, Global News, and now The Globe and Mail. When the city of Toronto launched its pilot program for legal drinking in designated city parks earlier this year, Leszcz sent a proposal to the mayor’s office for a municipal-only civic holiday “Picnic Day.”The Wilda team also submitted a consumer advisory label proposal to Health Canada, in an proactive effort to promote transparency within the industry. They’re currently waiting on a response.
Now the conversation is about dry January, which Leszcz calls an “opportunity to meet culture where it is.”
“A big part of Dry January's popularity is that it’s a great campaign: Simple, pithy, achievable. And it plays well on social media,” he explained. “It’s like the ice bucket challenge, but you just have to drink the ice water.”
In April, two 4 % ABV Wilda products (Lemon & Ginger, and Blueberry & Lavender) will be launched at the LCBO.
