How AquaFlask launched its biggest KOL event and campaign
AquaFlask is a well-loved insulated bottle brand in the Philippines, carving out a space for itself as an accessible yet aspirational brand. Near stepped up as the partner in launching their newest Tumbler collection through a creative event concept and end-to-end KOL campaign management.
*KOL = Key Opinion Leaders aka Influencers / Content Creators
AquaFlask is the number one insulated water bottle brand in the Philippines by sales volume. Since its launch in 2020, this proudly Filipino brand has captured the hearts of Filipinos with its stylish, durable, and functional designs that match a variety of lifestyles.
It stands out for offering premium quality while maintaining affordability, making AquaFlask a well-loved essential for Filipinos today. The brand has over 170 stores nationwide and has expanded to over seven countries, including Dubai, Singapore, and Thailand.
AquaFlask follows their own flow
AquaFlask is no stranger to KOL (key opinion leader) and affiliate marketing. However, they wanted to challenge themselves and do something even bigger and better for the launch of their much awaited Tumbler Collection. This collection differed from their previous offerings thanks to its innovative dual function design: its lid has both sip and gulp features to make it adaptable to various users’ lifestyles.
They decided to team up with Near Creative to develop a solid KOL campaign strategy for the Tumbler launch that would be enjoyable and meaningful for the people involved. AquaFlask wanted Filipinos to get curious about the Tumblers, but also feel a personal connection with this new collection.
Near makes waves for Tumbler
Near came in to assist the brand for the Tumbler launch, first by helping AquaFlask with the development of the event concept which they mounted, and then by creating and executing a KOL strategy that would create buzz and build awareness for the Tumbler collection.
Creating the event concept
The team kept in mind that the brand was aiming for a big, buzzworthy launch that would also highlight the love and thought put into each Tumbler colorway.
To add depth to the collection and each of its colorways, Near attached a distinct personality for each colorway to give KOL attendees, but also audiences, a clear path towards establishing a connection with the Tumblers.
This personality-driven concept guided the whole look and feel of the event, in which Near assisted with deciding on event styling, offering recommendations for venue and booth partners, and providing manpower support on the day of. The variety of personalities attached to the Tumbler colorways were also emphasized through fun booth activities and Instagram-worthy photo spots, which attendees participated in to showcase their own personalities.
Partnering with the perfect KOLs
To match the scale of the Tumbler launch, Near partnered with mid-tier to mega-KOLs, along with well-known celebrities. Near took care of end-to-end recommendation, negotiation, and management of up to 30 KOLs before, during, and after the event proper.
Each KOL was carefully chosen not only for their aesthetic content, but more importantly, their unique personalities that matched the personality-focused concept of the Tumbler collection. Near’s social listening analyses and engagement metrics revealed positive sentiments from the public, who felt a connection with the personalities the team assigned to the Tumbler colorways.
KOLs did not just attend and create post-event videos, but also posted Instagram stories for real-time event publicity that would get viewers interested in AquaFlask’s newest release.
The Near team maintained its commitment to giving KOLs creative freedom, which allowed the creation of highly engaging content, such as Inah Takeda’s highlight reel, which achieved 2 million in reach with a 17.37% engagement rate.
After the event, the team also had celebrities like Erwann Heussaff and Nadine Lustre post about the Tumbler collection to maintain hype and keep the Tumbler collection top of mind for consumers.
Near’s tips for refreshing KOL campaigns
Be guided by a solid concept. AquaFlask’s Tumbler launch and KOL campaign was guided by the concept of Tumbler’s various colorways being a showcase of different personalities, which gave room for creative event styling and booth gimmicks, but also diverse content styles from partner KOLs. A strong concept will make your campaign cohesive and engaging
Keep the conversation going. A content blast can make lots of noise one night and then quickly fizzle out. To keep audiences talking about your product or service, stagger your content postings to give everyone something new to talk about when they go online.
