Sparkling Ice Invites Consumers To Play Lotería
In the fall of 2021, Talking Rain Beverage, a maker of sparkling ice drinks, created an online version of Lotería, the iconic Mexican board game where players can earn and redeem points for exciting prizes or give back with a donation to JDRF, the leading global non-profit funder of type 1 diabetes (T1D) research.
How to Play
Lotería, which means lottery in Spanish, features a card (or tabla) with 16 colorful images. The object of the game is to match all the images with cards selected by the announcer from the 54-card deck. Players can play against friends, family, and Lotería enthusiasts from around the world in rooms of up to 8 players. The game is available in English and Spanish and includes a special Sparkling Ice custom tabla highlighting some of the brand’s most popular flavors, in addition to images of la Botella (the bottle) or la lata (the can).
Players can play the game online and earn points each time they play, which they can then redeem for Sparkling Ice Rewards prizes such as branded Sparkling Ice swag, Sparkling Ice YETI coolers, and more. Players can also use points to pay forward for Talking Rain to donate to JDRF to help children with diabetes. With the rate of Hispanic children being diagnosed with T1D on the rise, Sparkling Ice is partnering with the non-profit to sponsor its first Spanish-language “Bag of Hope. Bags of Hope provides accessible educational materials, support, and comfort to newly diagnosed families.
About Sparkling Ice® Beverages
Sparkling Ice beverages are made with soda, real fruit flavors, vitamins, antioxidants, and naturally sourced colors. With 23 fizzy, fruity flavors, the Sparkling Ice brand’s mission is to “Live in Full Flavor”.
Sparkling Ice is Talking Rain Beverage Company’s #1 selling brand. The brand is committed to connecting with like-minded partners who prioritize corporate, social, and environmental responsibility so they can work together to educate and inspire ongoing efforts to support these efforts. Through innovative carbon reduction programs, active social initiatives, and philanthropic support, the Sparkling Ice brand aims to create a lasting impact on communities.
Inspiration
“During a pandemic, many families are spending more time at home than ever before. We wanted to provide an easy and fun way for our community to connect while giving back,” said Sarah Gustat, executive vice president of marketing for Sparkling Ice manufacturer Talking Rain. “It also provides us with a long-term creative way to engage with our consumers and introduce new products and flavors through Loteria cards.”
Although rooted in Hispanic culture, the campaign has universal appeal. “When it comes to U.S. demographic shifts, the role culture plays has never been more important,” said Linda Lane González, CEO of Viva Partnership, the multicultural agency for the Sparling Ice brand. “Lotería is a beloved game that children often play with their grandparents, which helps expand their Spanish vocabulary. We’re excited to introduce Lotería to newcomers and to evoke nostalgia in enthusiasts.”
Sparkling ice is a part of the deck customized to look like a beverage package, highlighting some of the brand’s most popular flavors. What attracted me to the use of the game was that it was suitable for all ages and the rules were simple, and it was an old game that evoked nostalgia in the fans. However, I don’t think it is helping them achieve their marketing goals. The intro video for the game has very few views on YouTube and Facebook, with only 404 views on YouTube and 570 views, and 3 comments on Facebook. Another attraction to me is that this campaign can also be donated to JDRF, which is also very attractive to me, because my father also has diabetes, so I hope that the research on type 1 diabetes (T1D) will be supported.
Through my research on sparkling ice, I found that sparkling ice is a bit lacking in e-marketing, especially on the most popular social media platforms. Instagram has 112,000 followers, but only a couple of hundred likes for each post. TikTok is in the same situation, with only five or six hundred views, and occasionally one or two thousand. So I think sparkling ice should work on the digital marketing.
I think this trend will continue to exist because this campaign, can catch some nostalgic people, and this donation shows sparkling ice is taking his social responsibility and shaping the brand image, so I think it will not stop. And the extent of this campaign marketing has not reached a very good effect, and there is no saturation, so I think it will continue, after all, on the official website this game can still be played.
