A trio of All Blacks – current stars Damian McKenzie and Anton Lienert-Brown, plus former player Stephen Donald – teamed up in November and December to front the launch of their own low sugar ready-to-drink (RTD) drinks brand Grins.
The company was founded by the three sportsmen and the brand’s name is actually current international, Chiefs and Tokyo Sungoliath fullback McKenzie’s nickname (inspired by his trademark cheeky grin before he takes a kick) and, according to the trio, Grins stands for ‘all things good, and grin-worthy’.
The launch campaign – developed in harness with agency MetroEXP – was teased socially from the start of November via an Instagram-led social campaign.
The brand’s social pages debuted with cheerful and colourful content initially based around candid shots of the three sportsmen and of McKenzie and Lienert-Brown on the recent All Blacks northern hemisphere tour.
Then, on 7 December, the brand launched with an Eden Park stadium-set, rugby-themed social spot called ‘A Great Drink For A Great Moment’ starring the All Black trio.
The social spot recreated Donald’s famous 2011 Rugby World Cup winning penalty kick – complete with a Grins ad featuring on the giant stadium screen visible between the posts.
The initial marketing push promotes the brand’s first two flavours in its debut low-calorie, low-sugar and gluten-free range – ‘vodka, pineapple, mango and soda’ and ‘vodka, lemon, lime and soda’ – which were falvours selected with the help of fans/potential consumers through Instagram polls hosted by the rugby stars.
“We woke up in the morning and checked it again with a little more clarity and decided we would give it a crack,” explained Co-Founder Donald. “It’s probably been about six months but it has been an awesome experience and we have all learned a heck of a lot along the way. We are all pretty simple, laidback characters so we have deliberately tried to create flavours that are not too complicated. It has been awesome to watch social media and see the range of people giving it a crack.”
The brand and can design featuring a custom beaver illustration, which aims to embody the spirit and attitude of the three founders, in bright pastel colours.
“It was amazing working with the boys to bring to life their vision for a fun and playful brand like Grins,” said Director of MetroEXP Tammy Milani. “We wanted to make sure the brand had the personality to reflect the boys and their intention behind the new RTD to help it stand out in this ever-growing category. Plus it doesn’t hurt that is a delicious summer drink – definitely looking forward to a few Grins with Grins this summer.”
“Creating the Grins brand has been such a fun and collaborative experience with the guys, and the end product reflects who they are and what Grins is all about,” added MetroEXP Senior Account Manager Beatrice Bearne. “There’s been an amazing response to the product already, with Kiwis enthusiastic about getting their hands on some Grins this summer!”
The campaign was created with input from Grins founders Stephen Donald, Damian McKenzie and Anton Lienert-Brown by a team at agency MetroEXP which included Managing Partner Tammy Milani, Senior Account Manager Beatrice Bearne, Senior Art Director James Showler and Creative Director / Copywriter Susan Young, with illustration and design by Paolo Alinea.
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The low-sugar ready-to-drink category is currently fairly niche, but is growing fast.
The rugby trio felt that people are increasingly conscious of the amount of sugar they are consuming, so decided to operate in that space.
Donald admitted at the launch event and in PR interviews that Covid logistics made the launch and rollout slower than the trio had initially planned, but the drinks are now in liquor stores across New Zealand.
They also highlight that New Zealand Rugby is supportive of players pursuing interests outside of the game.
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