In celebration of Pride Month, SodaStream has launched its 2022 “Set All Your Colours Free” campaign. In celebration of the groups which are rising within the LGBTQIA+ community and promoting acceptance and tolerance between people, SodaStream is launching a limited edition “Set All Your Colours Free” kit, with proceeds supporting ILGA World, a global LGBTQIA+ NGO.
The kit features a special edition of SodaStream’s new Terra sparkling water maker in a sleek matte black colour and includes a unique reusable water bottle with a ‘colour-in’ design, as well as eight coloured markers; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, light-blue, purple, and pink.
As more groups have risen within the LGBTQIA+ community, the number of colours available within the brand’s special edition Pride kit has also grown, representing SodaStream’s ongoing commitment to inclusivity. Consumers can now personalise their sparkling water makers and bottles, paint all of their true colours and share their unique stories of pride.
SodaStream is also partnering with local influencers in more than 15 countries across the world, sharing the kit with partners to help share the important message of defeating inequalities and supporting diversity within the LGBTQIA+ community.
The limited edition sparkling water maker kit is available now and to learn more, we caught up with SodaStream’s global CMO Karin Schifter-Maor.
What was the brief?
SodaStream’s mission is to make the world a better place and we do this through a number of ways; environmentally, by encouraging people to reduce how much single-use plastic they use; and socially, by striving to defeat inequality and promoting acceptance and tolerance between people.
SodaStream has been supporting Pride for many years now, globally and in individual markets, and after an extremely successful Pride Campaign last year, we wanted to find a way to take things to the next level.
How did the initial pitch/brainstorming phase go?
As always with our Pride campaigns, the first thing that we did before starting to brainstorm was reaching out to our partner ILGA World, as well as to a few influencers from the LGBTQIA+ community, to better understand the sensitivity and the struggles that they are facing.
We learned that many sub-communities have been created within the LGBTQIA+ community and that their voices aren't always heard. Sometimes they are even silenced. It was obvious to us that we had to bring their voice to the forefront of the conversation and we started thinking about how we can do this.
Many sub-communities are represented by different colours than those on the original LGBTQIA+ flag, so we started thinking about how we could incorporate those colours into our product. We really wanted the voices of the members of these sub-communities to be heard, so we came up with a cool idea, to let them share their stories on their SodaStream sparkling water makers and bottles!
We then partnered with Posca, a marker brand, and created a special pack of markers that includes most sub-communities' colours, to truly let everyone set all their colours (and personal stories) free!
What was the process behind ideating the concept?
We wanted to create something that would be linked to our product but was also tangible, so that we could share SodaStream’s message of inclusivity with people all over the world. We first came up with the idea of the multi-coloured rainbow markers and then the idea of having the option to draw on the bottle as well as on the sparkling water maker.
What was the production process like?
Just like we tried to find a way to include all of the sub-communities in the campaign, we also had to keep in mind all the specific requests and needs from all SodaStream markets – which for example meant producing more than one type of sparkling water maker in the special edition Pride kits.
We then started working on creating special edition matte black sparkling water makers, creating the unique "colour-in" design that you see on the bottles, and of course started reaching out to marker brands all over the world. Once we had the product in hand, we also started working on the unique package and design – to make sure that we are truly inclusive of the community in all aspects.
What was the biggest challenge during production? How did you overcome it?
One of the biggest challenges was to find a clever way to "step it up" from our really successful Pride campaign last year – both on the product side and on the emotional side. Other than having coloured markers to help us be inclusive of the sub-communities, we wanted to give our consumers the opportunity to be able to draw and write on the bottle as well.
Although it sounds very simple, it was actually challenging! We had to make sure that even though the bottle is dishwasher safe, the colours from the markers won't come off when washing it. We had to find markers that were permanent enough, and it took a lot of testing!
What kit/tools/software were used to create the project?
We partnered with an amazing graphic design studio based in Israel, and its talented designers helped us design the amazing packaging of this special edition kit. As our goal was to be inclusive of the entire LGBTQIA+ community, we had to make sure that the message is clear and shown in everything, from idea, packaging, content of the kit, and even articles and influencers all over the world.
We gifted the kits to influencers and journalists all over the world, and also created very precise influencer guidelines to make sure that we are very respectful and inclusive of the entire community.
What is one funny or notable thing that happened during production?
The most notable thing for us was producing this special edition kit in our factory that is based in Israel. We call our factory the "Island of Peace", where Arabs and Jews work side-by-side in peace and harmony. It's truly a place that is defeating inequalities every day, and we found it really touching that the employees there worked on the production of a product that was created to defeat another type of inequality.
What’s the main message of this project and why does it matter?
Supporting the community all year long, inclusivity, letting people of all communities share their personal stories freely and letting their true selves shine, defeating inequality. And of course showing our continuous support to something that we truly care about. That’s why we also donated 20% of global proceeds from the special Pride kits to ILGA World, to support them in their cause.
How long did it take from inception to delivery?
Approximately one year! It all started from learning from last year, brainstorming, developing the product, right through to actual production. We started working on it right after we finished last year's Pride campaign, as we are always trying to improve ourselves and move forward.
What do you hope it achieves for the brand?
First of all, if one person has shared their message of Pride freely using this tool, we can say that we accomplished our goal. Secondly, supporting the LGBTQIA+ community is really a part of our deepest values of diversity and equality, and our only hope is that we are, and will continue to be, trusted by the community.
Credit list for the work?
As mentioned, 0304 Graphic Design studio were our partners in creating this amazing special edition kit from start to finish. We also worked with Talent Village, a UK based talent marketing agency on the influencer's work and guidelines.
