• by Danielle Oster , Yesterday

As Dry January participants turn to a variety of nonalcoholic choices, prebiotic soda brand Olipop is reintroducing “the original mocktail.”

The limited-time flavor was designed to evoke the nostalgia  of the Shirley Temple, a nonalcoholic mixed drink created in the 1930s and named after the child actress. In a release, Olipop describes the flavor as “ a modern twist” on the Shirley Temple, “with a refreshing blend of tart cherry, white grape, lemon, and lime.”

The release, strategically timed to Dry January, will be available through March via national retailers including Albertsons, Kroger, Target and Walmart, and Olipop’s website.

January has been the strongest month for new household trial over the past three years, the brand says. It announced the launch  with a post on its Instagram page.

To promote the Shirley Temple, the brand turned to actress Jean Smart, who won her seventh Emmy, for her portrayal of comedian Deborah Vance in HBO’s “Hacks” last September.  

In “Kids Table,” Smart takes a sip of Olipop’s latest release and is transported back to a 1950s kids table. The ad is part of a broader, nostalgic-focused “The Taste That Takes You Back” campaign starring Smart in four ads, which also promotes Olipop’s core flavor offerings Classic Grape and Classic Root Beer. Other spots in the series transport Smart to a 1980s bedroom (“Landline”), sleepover (“Girl Talk”), and 1990s basement hangout (“Cheat Code”).  “The Taste That Takes You Back” is running across retail media networks, digital out-of-home, online video, OTT, and CTV.
As part of the campaign, Smart also shared a recipe for “The Jean Smart Cocktail,” created using Olipop’s Shirley Temple, along with blood orange juice, club soda or sparkling water, 3 cherries, an orange slice, and a mint garnish.

 “Just as we’ve reimagined soda with better ingredients and less sugar, it felt natural to reimagine this classic mocktail for today,” Olipop Senior Vice President of Marketing Tara Piper said in a statement.

Olipop is also supporting “The Taste That Takes You Back” through two brand partnerships. Customers have a chance at two free cans of any Olipop flavor delivered to their door through Instacart. The promotion kicks off Jan. 9, with 5,000 cans being given away throughout January. Olipop also partnered with  New York City pizza hotspot Ray’s. Customers who order select menu items will also have a chance to win a free can of the new Shirley Temple flavor.