When Snapple wanted to engage with Gen Z, TRG helped create Yee Yee Juice, a playful integration into the viral Lil Nas X “Old Town Road” trend. The campaign generated 248 million impressions and a 5x increase in social conversations, driving renewed relevance for Snapple within a younger demographic. By tapping into cultural moments and using custom packaging and social amplification, Snapple achieved significant brand visibility and engagement.
It seemed like “Old Town Road” couldn’t get bigger. Then we brought Snapple into the mix. Snapple joined Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” debut, merging a viral hit with Snapple’s unique personality. Instead of typical product placement, Snapple created Yee Yee Juice to connect with Gen Z in the video.
Snapple social conversation increase
impressions driven on digital touchpoints
brand sentiment in week following video release
Through an Innovation Sprint, our team identified that Gen Z craves authentic cultural connections. We leveraged this insight to create a product that felt organic within Lil Nas X’s universe while maintaining Snapple’s quirky brand personality.
We embraced the original source of “Yee Yee Juice” and incorporated it into the label design. Custom Snapple packages were sent to celebrities who had shown interest in the song. Their response was overwhelmingly positive. Celebrities like Rico Nasty, HaHa Davis, and Lil Nas X himself shared posts of the gifts. Fans got thirsty, requesting their own Snapple Yee Yee juice over 1,000 times.
We created custom mailers for media outlets such as Complex, Highsnobiety, and BuzzFeed. An unlockable Snapchat Lens was also created to promote the partnership. Social media was monitored to ensure timely responses and amplify awareness of Snapple’s role in the video.
Our interactive elements, such as the unlockable Snapchat lens and GIFs, were designed through rapid prototyping, ensuring they aligned with Gen Z’s mobile-first behavior and added a layer of fun and shareability to the campaign. The design of the Snapchat lens and GIFs reflected the playful, meme-driven aesthetic of Gen Z, using bold colors and dynamic animations that mirrored the upbeat energy of ‘Old Town Road.
Fans flooded Snapple’s social channels, requesting their own Yee Yee Juice, turning a playful product into a symbol of the shared cultural moment. We developed a moderation strategy including 70 response GIFs sourced from the video. This approach added value for those who interacted with Snapple. Lil Nas X even tweeted to his 2 million followers using one of them.
Using data-driven insights, we rapidly prototyped and optimized the Snapchat Lens and GIFs, ensuring they aligned with Gen Z’s behavior. AI-powered analytics helped track real-time engagement, allowing us to iterate on campaign elements for maximum shareability.
Our interactive elements, such as the unlockable Snapchat lens and GIFs, were designed through rapid prototyping, ensuring they aligned with Gen Z’s mobile-first behavior and added a layer of fun and shareability to the campaign. The design of the Snapchat lens and GIFs reflected the playful, meme-driven aesthetic of Gen Z, using bold colors and dynamic animations that mirrored the upbeat energy of ‘Old Town Road.
Response to the partnership was massive, resulting in major press coverage, a 5x increase in social conversations with Snapple, a 17% lift in sentiment, and over 248 million impressions — all of which solidified a younger, more culturally relevant social presence for Snapple.
Following the campaign, Snapple saw a continued lift in Gen Z engagement, with sustained conversations on social media and a marked increase in brand loyalty among younger consumers.
Awards:
2020 ADDYs:
• Best in Show – Snapple x Old Town Road
• Gold: Social Media Campaign – Snapple x Old Town Road
• Silver: Online/Interactive – Social Media Campaign – Snapple x Old Town Road
• Silver: OOH & Ambient Media – Snapple x Old Town Road
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