• by Danielle Oster , Yesterday

With the holiday season on the horizon, Welch’s is reminding audiences not to forget the kids’ table when picking up fancy drinks for family gatherings.

The brand launched its largest-ever campaign for Welch’s Sparkling Juices, with a new Charlie Cheersman character calling on families to “Break Out The Fancy Juice” for special occasions. Charlie Cheersman is portrayed by child actor Paxton Beau Bazile, the first kid to take a leading role in a Welch’s campaign since the 2000s.

In a release, the brand said Pax’s “energetic personality, distinctive voice, and genuine enthusiasm for the Welch’s brand” made him the right fit for the role, adding that he “follows in the footsteps of “fellow child stars whose work shaped how families remember Welch’s” with campaigns that “became ingrained in culture.”

“Welch’s was such a special part of my childhood,” Emily Mae Young, who appeared in Welch’s ads beginning in the ‘90s, said in a statement. “Now, as a mom, seeing Welch’s bring kids back into their ads for the first time in over 20 years feels like the heart of it all is returning. To the new Welch’s kid: have fun, be yourself, and most importantly…drink the juice!”

Welch’s worked with an integrated agency team on the campaign, including Terri & Sandy on creative, Flywheel on paid media, and Superdigital on social media marketing, influencer partnerships, and brand activations.

Through the holiday season, the campaign is running on TV, digital, social media and retail media channels, and will also include experiential, influencer partnerships, and sampling activations.

Welch’s is also planning to bring back Charlie Cheersman for an ad scheduled for next summer -- the first time Welch’s Sparkling Juices will run a summer campaign. The spot will focus on celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, as well as other summer celebratory moments.

“From big holiday tables to simple Tuesday wins, we want Welch’s Sparkling Juice to be there when families celebrate,” Welch’s Head of Communications & Brand Engagement Jen DeAngelis said in a statement. 

“Charlie guides consumers through cheers-worthy moments both big and small,” she added, “and with our integrated agency team working as one across creative, media, social, and PR, we are backing ‘Break Out the Fancy Juice’ with our biggest Sparkling investment to date.”