By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
The Sparkling Ice brand, crafted by Talking Rain Beverage Company, just launched a new line inspired by the flavor of Starburst candies.
The Sparkling Ice STARBURST collaboration has resulted in a new line of zero-sugar Sparkling Ice flavors that capture the taste and sensory experience of STARBURST original fruit chew candy.
“Sparkling Ice STARBURST is a bold collaboration, designed to surprise and delight our loyal fans and also attract a whole new legion of flavor-loving sparkling water consumers to our dazzlingly delicious, zero-sugar beverages,” said Rich DePencier, Chief Growth Officer at Talking Rain Beverage Company. “This brand collaboration is already igniting early enthusiasm among beverage influencers, industry leaders and retailers. It’s just the beginning of a revolution in the Sparkling Ice brand that our fans know and love.”
Influencers eager to experience the tasty synergy of Sparkling Ice and STARBURST began buzzing about the collaboration weeks before news of the launch was available publicly. To date, their organic content has garnered more than a quarter-million views on TikTok alone.
As well, Talking Rain reports that industry leaders are bullish about the pairing of two beloved brands and category leaders, based on unprecedented early demand from retailers and distributors.
This is the first major brand initiative since Sparkling Ice, the No. 1 sparkling water brand in the U.S., launched its “Anything But Subtle” campaign at the start of the year. That campaign kicked off the company’s largest marketing investment ever, and enlisted Emmy Award-winning actress Annie Murphy to play its “Chief Flavor Officer,” a colorfully-clad executive who gushes about the premium sparkling beverage.
Heading up the team of beverage innovators behind Sparkling Ice STARBURST is Talking Rain’s director of new product development, Tatyana Osipovs.
“Our Sparkling Ice product development team knew Sparkling Ice STARBURST would bring a huge level of excitement to consumers with this flavorful collaboration,” said Osipovs. “We spent months recreating the flavors of the STARBURST fruit chew candies in the Sparkling Ice beverage. Now our fans can enjoy the full-flavored fun of these candy flavors with zero-sugar in our delicious drink!”
The new line of STARBURST-inspired Sparkling Ice comes in the candy’s four original flavors – cherry, lemon, orange, and strawberry. It will be available online via Amazon starting Feb. 19, as well as arriving to select retailers in late January and rolling out nationally throughout the spring.
This partnership was put together through Starburst’s licensing agency Brand Central, while Sparkling Ice is represented by Joester Loria Group.
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