• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, January 9, 2018

Fiji Water is magnifying the power of its frequent high-profile events sponsorships this awards season by tapping into the power of the #TimesUp movement with its “One Sip Forward” campaign. 

Starting at the Golden Globes on Jan. 7, Fiji — the Globes’ official water sponsor — began donating $1,000 (to a maximum of $100,000) to the American Film Institute’s (AFI) Directing Workshop for Women (DWW) each time a celebrity is photographed sipping the water brand through a Fiji Water Straw during an awards event.

The campaign will also be in force during other awards events at which Fiji is the water sponsor: the Critics’ Choice Awards (Jan.11), the Screen Actors Guild Awards (Jan. 21) and the FILM Independent Spirit Awards (March 3).

As part of the sponsorships, Fiji is served on trays, with its branded straws, to guests on the red carpet, as well as offered at tables during the awards dinners. At SAG, the water brand will also be served at the official post-awards gala co-hosted by People magazine, the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), and TNT and TBS.

Celebrities who triggered DWW donations by being photographed during the Golden Globes included Greta Gerwig (above), Sterling K. Brown, Heidi Klum, Kendall Jenner, Tracee Ellis Ross, Sarah Paulson, Mandy Moore, Amanda Peet and Édgar Ramírez, among others. The photos are being posted on Fiji’s social channels, including Twitter. 

The brand is also providing a platform, through its social channels and website, to help DWW’s class of 2018 raise funds for their projects.

Fiji Water is encouraging consumers to participate in the campaign by buying its reusable straws on its online store, with the promise that all straw sales during the awards season will also be donated to DWW.

Consumers can also post selfies drinking Fiji Water on social media, using #OneSipForward and tagging @FIJIWater.

Just 4% of directors across the 1,100 top films between 2007 and 2017 were female, according to stats cited by Fiji.

Fiji has been building its upscale image and sales through awards shows, international film festivals and movie premieres for many years now.