A new commercial, “UFOMG,” developed in conjunction with Stephen Bliss, the illustrator behind Grand Theft Auto, will start running today on cable television stations, such as Comedy Central, ESPN, FX and on WWE broadcasts, as well as on YouTube and social media. And, in a first-of-its-kind partnership, Redd’s Wicked is poised to become the first alcohol beverage to advertise on-console across the Xbox One network.
The first of the new ads draws inspiration from graphic noir. It features three millennials cracking open Redd’s Wicked Watermelon at a club and getting pulled up into a UFO, Redd’s Wicked in hand. The spots feature the tagline “There’s Wicked Within.”
Coming off a strong year in the convenience store channel, Redd’s Wicked in February launched a new flavor, Watermelon, and this month brought back fan-favorite Strawberry Kiwi. The release doubled as the unveiling of redesigned packaging across the Redd’s Wicked brand, a change made to strengthen its visibility on shelves and in cooler doors.
The Redd’s Wicked franchise is up 1% in volume and 1.9% in sales dollars in the convenience channel year-to-date through Feb. 3, according to Nielsen. Over the most-recent four weeks, its performance is even better, up 1.8 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively.
Spots slated for Xbox are expected to begin later in spring. Cirone says the video gaming consoles will provide a critical bridge for the brand to connect with millennial men, “who game like crazy.”