• by Larissa Faw , February 1, 2016

Although Pepsi's Naked Juice is a national brand, its new "Endorsed By Kale" campaign is designed to root the brand in local communities.  

This campaign is a joint effort of The Integer Group, VaynerMedia, OMD Worldwide and MullenLowe. 

According to the agencies, this campaign is designed to connect with consumers in nontraditional ways through its "everything is media" approach.

The general concept riffs on the commonly used premise to showcase celebrity or athlete endorsements by enlisting Naked Juice’s Kale Blazer as the "hero ingredient."

The character Kale gives Kale Blazer (the Naked drink flavor) its full endorsement with a dedicated Twitter handle – @TweetsByKale – offering commentary and images across social media. Many tweets latch on to pop culture, such as asking to join the "kale squad" similar to Taylor Swift's friendship circle. Others offer amusing messages. For instance, one tweet mentions that "I am only bitter until you get to know me" and another "If I were a government employee, I would be US Kale."

To support this social media push, the “Endorsed by Kale” campaign is appearing in eight markets: Chicago, New York, Portland (OR), Seattle, DC, San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco. These cities will feature marquee billboard advertisements strategically placed in what Naked Juice deems "hip neighborhoods", such as Wicker Park in Chicago and North Beach in San Francisco. For instance, “KALEFORNIA DREAMING” runs in San Diego, “WELCOME TO KALE-LANDIA” in Portland and “LAKEVIEW IS FEELING THE KALE EFFECT” in Chicago.

Also, local magazines will include city-specific "Endorsed by Kale, Loved by [insert city name]" print ads.

Andrea Theodore, head of marketing, Naked Emerging Brands, said the campaign is designed to maintain “our equity and brand essence as a juice and smoothie maker that feels local and homegrown” — even though it’s grown to become a national brand.

The new campaign, she added, “is a hyper-local advertising campaign that leverages insights about the lifestyle, behaviors and beliefs of the audience to reinforce the brand’s commitment to community." 

The campaign runs through the end of March.