• by Danielle Oster , Yesterday

HED: 

This year’s campaign for the brand’s seasonal Holiday Punch release features an animated “Dwanta’s Last Can” ad and a sweepstakes offering a chance to win a “lifetime supply” of Zoa Energy.

To promote the return of its seasonal Dwanta’s Holiday Punch release, Zoa Energy, the zero-sugar, energy drink brand co-founded by  Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, is bringing the titular “Dwanta” to life in an animated ad starring the actor.

Johnson voices the “Dwanta Claus” character (a portmanteau of “Dwayne” and “Santa Claus”) in the animated “Dwanta’s Lost Can” ad debuting on the brand’s social channels Nov. 4. Created with Seven Bucks Marketing, a production company co-founded by Johnson, the spot shows Dwanta looking for  a missing can of the seasonal release, only to find it was where it needed to be all along: ready to help a young woman who was "running on empty."

In a statement, Johnson said the campaign was created in the spirit of “reminding us not to take it all too seriously, have some fun and keep the good energy flowing during the holidays.”

The social media campaign includes a paid social component, as well as running across Zoa Energy and Johnson’s personal channels.

“Dwanta’s Lost Can” also introduces the first national contest since the introduction of the holiday release in 2023. The interactive “Find My Zoa” sweepstakes offers the chance to win prizes including a 12-pack of Dwanta’s Holiday Punch, and a “lifetime supply” of Zoa Energy — awarded as a check for $10,000, which the brand says is roughly equivalent to a case of Zoa Energy every month for 30 years.

The holiday release and accompanying campaign arrive during a particularly high-profile moment for Johnson, which may help attract attention to the brand. It follows the October theatrical release of “The Smashing Machine,” a sports biopic written and directed by Benny Safdie (‘Uncut Gems’), that stars Johnson as MMA fighter Mark Kerr; and ahead of his voice acting role in the upcoming Disney animated comedy sequel “Zootopia 2,” which makes its theatrical debut Nov. 26.