Y&R may be in for 'refresher' with Welch's sparkling water

Dr Pepper/Seven Up Co. will launch a sparkling water line under the Welch’s brand name, which could get Young & Rubicam/ N.Y.’s creative juices flowing when the fruit-flavored brand hits the market.
Premier Beverages, a division of Dallas-based Dr Pepper/Seven Up, which owns the marketing rights, will soon begin testing Welch’s Refreshers, naturally-flavored sparkling waters that will compete with the likes of Clearly Canadian and Coca-Cola’s Nordic Mist.
Y&R, agency of record for the Dr Pepper soft drink, is the most likely candidate to get the assignment to support the launch with a TV and radio campaign that stresses the brand’s “light refreshment.”
Executives at the agency declined to comment.
Although the budget could not be determined, the so-called “new age” beverage category is overflowing with new entries and marketers are upping their spending to make inroads in the $700-million category.
On the low end, Clearly Canadian this year will spend an estimated $7 million...