According to Fast Company, Saratoga Spring Water is aggressively expanding its audience beyond fine dining through a series of unconventional partnerships. These include a pop-up speakeasy at a Los Angeles 7-Eleven in November, a brand deal with BMX star Nigel Sylvester, and water-food pairings developed with water sommelier Martin Riese. The brand’s next move is a major ad campaign starring actress and singer Kelsea Ballerini, which debuts on January 5. This launch is strategically timed just days before the Golden Globes, an event Saratoga sponsors as the “official water.” The ad will run on broadcast TV, paid social channels like Instagram and TikTok, and in print titles including Vogue and Travel + Leisure.
The Fluid Brand Strategy
Here’s the thing: selling premium water is a brutally crowded game. Everyone’s got a mountain or a glacier. So Saratoga’s playbook is fascinating. They’re trying to create what their head of creative, Christi Lazar, calls “fluidity” between partners. Basically, they want the brand to feel at home in a 7-Eleven as much as a Michelin-starred kitchen. It’s a high-wire act. Does showing up in a convenience store dilute the luxury aura they’ve built with chefs? Or does it make them seem more accessible and cool? They’re betting on the latter.
Why This Might Actually Work
Look, the old model of luxury—just being expensive and exclusive—isn’t enough for younger consumers. Authenticity is the new currency. Partnering with a BMX athlete like Nigel Sylvester isn’t just random; it ties into an active, on-the-go lifestyle where hydration is key. The 7-Eleven pop-up is a genius stunt for social media buzz. It’s disruptive and gets people talking. And the water sommelier angle? That keeps the “serious” culinary cred alive. So it’s a mix of high and low culture. They’re trying to be everywhere their potential drinker might be, from a bike trail to a awards show after-party. That’s a pretty broad net.
The Big Splash Campaign
All these weird, scattered partnerships lead to the big, traditional ad push on January 5. Using Kelsea Ballerini makes sense—she has cross-genre appeal in music and is a recognizable face. The Golden Globes sponsorship is the ultimate old-school prestige play. But the media buy is totally modern, heavy on TikTok and Instagram. It’s like they’re using the quirky grassroots stuff to build a story, then using the star-powered ad to broadcast that story to the masses. The real test is whether that campaign spot can feel connected to the vibe of a speakeasy in a slap. Can it feel authentic, or will it just feel like another celebrity endorsement? That’s the billion-dollar question for any brand trying this scatter-shot approach.
