award of merit
Business Challenge and Campaign Objectives
SOLO is a declining brand in a declining category due to a mix of factors – lack of distribution, aggressive competition, shifting category dynamics towards private label.
Marketing had a huge role in rebuilding momentum for this brand, by defining the unique “fun” only SOLO can bring to consumers' lives – creating emotional value that gets consumers (and retailers) buying again. Faced with limited budgets, we needed to see positive ROAS…and…a sales lift…plus incremental revenue growth.
Concept / Big Idea
When planning your next social gathering, you might think little details – like the cups and plates you use – don’t matter. But the truth is, when it's not SOLO, people notice.
No iconic red SOLO cup? Your guests might as well drink directly out of the punch bowl.
Without SOLO Bold Hold plates, you may find guests eating directly off the table.
Through outlandish, cringey social misfires, we demonstrate what happens when people don’t choose SOLO.
Because the iconic red cup is more than just a cup. It’s a signal. A sign that tells everyone a good time is ahead and marks a party done right.
When the moments matter, there’s no substitute.
It’s SOLO. Or nothing.
Activation / Tactics
We leveraged relatable, relevance-building, story-driven videos for upper funnel tactics, including CTV, OLV, social, and display ads. And activated across competitive conquesting audiences when videos were most relevant.
Results / Sales / Market Share
While the campaign was primarily designed to drive relevance, awareness and rebuild brand momentum among Gen X and Gen Y parents, event hosts, and category shoppers, it also delivered strong sales performance.
In a declining category, the campaign generated a 9.4% incremental sales lift, resulting in more than $1.2MM in incremental sales.
Notably, SOLO sales peaked more than the category, suggesting it being the go-to brand for celebratory occasions, including Halloween, Back-to-School, and St. Patrick’s Day.
Achieving this level of sales impact while the campaign’s primary objective was upper-funnel reinforces the effectiveness of the creative and media strategy in driving both brand momentum and measurable business growth.
