Daily Brief:

• Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc. on Monday (June 10) announced a new masterbrand campaign and tagline, “Just Add Cran,” that will support all future creative work, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
• Developed with agency Orchard Creative, the effort kicks off with three ad spots featuring a new farmer-inspired brand character, Johnny, the “straight-shooter cousin” of the iconic farmer duo featured in Ocean Spray ads from 2008 to 2018.
• Initial ads for the campaign will air across streaming TV from June 10 to Aug. 4 and be supported with a mix of online video, display banners and social media. The move follows Ocean Spray’s first major brand overhaul in over two decades earlier this year.

Dive Insight:

Ocean Spray has unveiled a new tagline and campaign unifying its future creative in “Just Add Cran.” The effort could help amplify the marketer’s first identity refresh in over 20 years as it looks to highlight a “wildly uncommon” approach to culture, creative and connecting with consumers.

The brand’s latest ads promote its juice blends, Craisins dried cranberries and Zero Sugar Cranberry Juice Drink, an offering that launched in October and sees Ocean Spray joining other beverage brands that have looked to grow share in the trending better-for-you category. The ads also introduce Johnny, who is meant to personify the brand’s New England roots and the “grit of the farmer-owners who serve as the core of the brand.” The character also is an extension of the iconic two farmers who were frequently shown in past Ocean Spray ads.

Three 15-second spots serve as the kickoff of the new campaign. The first, “Dating,” chronicles a fictitious dating show in which Johnny pitches Craisins as the perfect pairing. Another spot, “Diner,” presents the brand’s Zero Sugar Cranberry Juice Drink to a diner-goer looking for a healthier option. A final spot, “Video Call,” sees Johnny join a virtual meeting to dole out Ocean Spray beverages including Cran x Mango and Cran x Pineapple.

The ads notably mark an evolution for one of Ocean Spray’s most popular visual assets, the cranberry bogs. While past creative was centered around bringing viewers to the cranberry bog, the new work brings the bog to people in a real-life setting for the first time. The reveal of Johnny as a brand character in the creative also serves to introduce a “new icon for the next generation” while continuing to spotlight Ocean Spray’s co-op owners, said Monisha Dabek, senior vice president and chief commercial officer, USA at Ocean Spray, in a statement.

The three campaign spots begin airing today and will be amplified through a media mix spanning online video, display banners and social. Down the line, the brand will share elements of “Just Add Cran” across additional touchpoints, including in-store, per release details.

Ocean Spray’s refreshed identity and new masterbrand campaign could help feed momentum for the brand, with past wins including a Cannes award for its 2022 “Power Your Holidays” ad. The marketer also cashed in on the ready-to-drink cocktail trend recently through a partnership with Pernod Ricard vodka brand Absolut for a line of canned vodka-cranberry cocktails. The brand overhaul from the marketer marries it with a sea of others who have also recently unveiled a refresh in an attempt to stay current and appeal to key cohorts like Gen Z.