Here’s one that will make you scratch your head. Acqua Panna, a premium bottled water brand owned by Nestlé, has attempted to tell an incredibly far-fetched love story in 30 seconds while simultaneously promoting its product. You can imagine how that went.
The ad purports to bring to life the “key values” (yikes) of Acqua Panna, which apparently include exploration, discovery and spontaneity. Lofty goal for a bottled water brand, and one that’s left us with more questions than answers.
From the get-go, the spot makes little sense. When did the woman in the ad have time to scribble a message on a water bottle? Wouldn’t he have made it over to her by then?
Also, telling a stranger to meet you in Tuscany seems like a cruel joke. How on earth did he know where to go? Tuscany is a pretty big area. Did he walk around for days? Weeks? Months?
More importantly, how did he manage to find her at a place that has no address? Why isn’t she more freaked out when he arrives?
So. Many. Questions.
Anyway, the tired boy-meets-girl trope falls flat in this one, which was created to promote Acqua Panna’s new bottle and logo. The campaign is slated to air nationally across broadcast, digital and social channels through fall of this year.
Thankfully, no agency was listed in the pitch for this ad. But at least it wasn’t Liquid Death … and on that note, here’s a nice, short New Yorker piece about exactly how ridiculous the bottled water business can be.