Dive Brief:
- Lipton Hard Iced Tea is attempting to bridge the generational divide between baby boomers and millennials through a unique spin on party culture in an activation timed for National Iced Tea Day on June 10, according to a press release.
- As part of the push, the brand is partnering with creators from the Retirement House, a group of senior influencers, to challenge perceptions around senior living. Cruz Corral, an influencer known for his commentary on intergenerational workplace culture, is also onboard.
- To encourage online engagement, the brand is sending the winners of an Instagram-based contest on a trip to Palm Springs, California. The destination is known for being both a place to retire and party.
Dive Insight:
While much of the marketing industry has been focused on capturing the attention of younger consumers, Lipton Hard Iced Tea is looking for common ground and encouraging millennials and boomers to put aside their differences with the message: “Don’t retire the party.” By aiming for a broad appeal, the brand has an opportunity to boost awareness beyond what a more narrowly targeted strategy could accomplish.
The social-forward campaign puts a heavy emphasis on content designed to appeal across age groups. The Retirement House content group, which puts its own spin on retirement life, has 6.4 million TikTok followers. Cruz, who goes by champagnecruz on TikTok, has nearly 300,000 followers on the platform. Though TikTok is known for its popularity among younger consumers, boomers have increasingly flocked to the app, mostly for its shopping features.
The campaign arrives as the hard iced tea category continues to grow. While hard seltzer is still the king of the beer alternative market, ready-to-drink cocktails and other alcoholic beverages have seen steady growth as consumers seek out new options, with iced tea a perennial favorite.
Lipton Hard Iced Tea, which is brewed by FIFCO USA through a licensing agreement with PepsiCo, isn’t the only brand focusing on bringing generations together. Sprite, which is owned by The Coca-Cola Company, included both younger and older basketball players when it relaunched its iconic “Obey Your Thirst” campaign in 2024.
