It’s been bubbling up for years, and now here we are, in the midst of a sparkling-water brand war. LaCroix –the fizzy flavored drink that comes in retro pastel so-uncool-they’re-cool-again cans — is the front-runner, and as Americans drink less and less soda, every brand is angling for its own subtly fruit-flavored water.
Enter Bubly (yes, just one b in the middle). PepsiCo’s newly debuted brand of flavored sparkling water aims to make a big splash, with a peppy ad campaign that rolled out during the Oscars. With its colorful cans and cheeky marketing, it is clearly aiming to steal millennials from LaCroix. Other brands have tried — Poland Spring recently released its own flavored sparkling water, and Dasani, owned by Coca-Cola, has a flavored sparkling water, too — but Bubly seems to understand the cultlike appeal of flavored sparkling water better than the rest. It’s not the flavors or the price — it’s the packaging.
For an average consumer, the look of the cans seems to be the only thing that sets a flavored sparkling water apart from its peers. People may think one brand is better than another, but they can’t tell the difference between any of them in a blind taste test. People can’t even tell what flavor of sparkling water they’re drinking in a blind taste test. So the cans are a critical part of the flavored sparkling water experience.
LaCroix’s cans have achieved cult status. They look great on Instagram. There are “LaCroixs over boys” T-shirts and “Have a flavorful holiday” greeting cards. Dressing up as a LaCroix can is a thing that many people have done for Halloween. Some bartenders are making cocktails with it. People are even dyeing their hair to match LaCroix cans. So if you’re going to come at LaCroix, you’d best do so with a can that’s equally adorable. Bubly knows this, and its product seems to be designed for maximum cuteness. The cans are nearly monochrome, with emoji-like smiles on the side and some polka dots at the edges. Best of all, the pop-tabs all come printed with a little greeting that mimics how people text, in lowercase: “hiya” on lemon, “haayy” on mango, “hiiii” on strawberry and plain old “hi” on apple. Importantly, and like LaCroix, each can is a different color that mimics the origin of the “natural flavor” fruit essence inside. It is truly a juice box for 20-somethings.