• by Danielle Oster , September 10, 2024

Brisk Iced Tea steeps its new campaign in millennial nostalgia, while passing the mic to singer Doja Cat.

Millennials may remember the claymation ads the Brisk brand -- which is managed by a Pepsi/Lipton partnership -- and agency JWT introduced in 1996. The long-running approach saw claymation versions of celebrities (both contemporary and historical)  in need of some refreshment perk up after taking a drink of the beverage, delivering the brand’s “That’s brisk, baby!” tagline.

Over the course of the initial campaign run in the 1990s and early 2000s, clay animated depictions of everyone from Bruce Willis to Babe Ruth and Elvis Presley made an appearance. After moving on from the approach, the brand revived it with a 2010 campaign, and last employed claymation in its 2011 Super Bowl ad featuring Eminem.

Now, Doja Cat is starring in the brand’s first claymation ad in over a decade, in a campaign which puts a new spin on the familiar. In “That’s Cold,” Doja and a companion are enjoying a relaxing moment on the edge of the woods. When the guy she’s with refuses to share his Brisk, he gets snatched up by a bear (can of Brisk and all) and cries out to her for help. Her eyes glow blue, along with a group of woodland creatures who assemble to rescue the beverage – leaving him to fend for himself as she takes a sip and concludes the ad with the familiar old tagline.

Despite the length of the initial campaign, and wide mix of figures depicted, there were some conspicuous limitations to the brand’s roster of clay celebrities. “That’s Cold” is apparently the first Brisk ad to feature a female artist, according to the brand. It’s hard to believe it took so long, as there was no shortage of women -- contemporary or historical -- who could have starred in the campaign’s initial '90s-'00s run. (That’s sexist, baby?).

This time around, the brand extends the clay charm with a social media activation that introduces an exclusive Snapchat filter transforming users into clay likenesses. A promotional sweepstakes gives fans the opportunity to win the clay head likeness of herself that Doja Cat was spotted carrying around London ahead of the campaign, as well as other prizes like Doja Cat figurines. To enter, the brand is asking fans to follow @Brisk on Instagram, tag a friend and comment with the #ThatsColdSweepsEntry hashtag.

In a statement, Julie Raheja-Perera, general manager, Pepsi Lipton Partnership North America, characterized the campaign as a “return to claymation, reigniting the nostalgia for longtime fans while engaging a whole new generation.”