How Essentia pushes past category cliches with its New York takeover

Essentia Water is taking to the streets and screens of New York City with a 360-degree campaign, “Change the Equation,” that appears to encourage consumers to think, act and hydrate in another way. The hyperlocal campaign focuses on the Nestlé alkaline water brand’s top market.

“Launching there really gave us this chance to pursue a little bit of a unique strategy, to focus less on the breadth, more on the depth, and really go all in on the New York market,” said Katherine Weiss, the brand’s marketing director.

To intercept New Yorkers during all facets of their day, the trouble includes online videos, out-of-home ads, experiential activations, influencer collaborations and an official partnership with Athlos, a women-only track and field event. 

“We were really desirous about following the journey of the day: Where are we going to point out up on this authentic way for our consumers?” Weiss said. “The goal was making Essentia inconceivable to disregard should you’re walking around town.”

‘If rulebook, rip it’

All together, the weather of the campaign play into the edginess in Essentia’s DNA, highlighting that achievements across a spread of activities don’t come without risk. The effort positions Essentia as a catalyst for consumers to vary their very own life equations, because the campaign’s name maintains. The brand’s tagline and an “if X, Y it” construct within the creative (“If rulebook, rip it,” says one ad) nod to the plus and equal symbols in Essentia’s iconography and packaging.

“We’ve at all times had real strength within the branding… so we were leaning a bit of harder into that graphically, bringing that to the surface to offer it that punch,” said Tom McQueen, executive creative director at Droga5, the agency that helped create the campaign. Droga5 previously worked with Essentia on a social-first campaign for the launch of the brand’s first-ever flavored, functional water.

Three hero videos rethink category cliches around fitness and sports by placing athletes in a stark studio with an art exhibit-like quality. “If” encompasses a weightlifter using cinder blocks as weights, “Winner” incorporates trophies right into a workout and “Liftoff” focuses on a handful of skateboarders.

“When it’s the water category, it could possibly get quite light and vibrant, and what Essentia has at all times done rather well has been the antithesis to that and more of an attitude,” McQueen said. “The movies had more grit to them, and it was way more of a graphic provocation that … really allow you to give attention to the voiceover, the standpoint and the message.”

Activations throughout New York tap into town’s vibrant street culture and include installations at skate parks, pop-up performances and a “guerilla” sampling push. The brand may even partner with fitness locale Action Black Nomad and influencers including @gabbois and @citybikeboys.

Breaking boundaries

Essentia can also be the exclusive water brand of the Barclays Center and the Brooklyn Nets and may have a presence on LED signage at home games and on the team’s Practice within the Park event on Sept. 27.

The brand’s latest sports partnership is with Athlos, which is returning for its second annual event on Oct. 10 and can launch a league next yr. Partnering with Athlos gives Essentia a brand new technique to put money into women’s sports: with a league that may feature athlete-owners and an authentic connection to the brand.

“They are the embodiment of adjusting the equation in women’s sports by really elevating and honoring these female track and field athletes who’re really pushing boundaries,” Weiss said. “We really see it as shared celebration of our commitment to ambition, purpose and breaking limits.”

While “Change the Equation” is launching with a New York-focused campaign, iterations for cities including Los Angeles and Miami are within the works for 2026.