DigitasLBi Nordics and Swedish Juice Brand Smakis Save Bees with Lemon Balm Seeds

Smakis, a family-owned, organic fruit juice maker in Sweden, is stepping up to help save the bees with a new integrated campaign created in partnership with DigitasLBi Nordics. Called ‘Plant a Smakis’, the initiative launches a specially developed new flavour that contains a dash of every bee’s favourite nectar – lemon balm.

Smakis’ kid-sized cartons make perfect little plant pots, so together with DigitasLBi, they’ve attached organic lemon balm seeds and planting instructions to each one. That means children can plant what they just drank, making Smakis’ juice cartons as ecological as the organic juice inside. This also provides struggling bee colonies with what they need most – pesticide-free pollen and nectar.

“Plant a Smakis’ has an educational aspect that comes to life on Instagram under the hashtag #PlanteraEnSmakis. Together with the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation and the organic certification KRAV, Smakis is teaching children and their parents about the plight of the bees, the importance of organic and environmental initiatives, as well as sharing their best organic gardening tips. Parents are then encouraged to share photos of their children’s gardening experiences and lemon balm plants.

The campaign is supported by PR activities from Smakis’ NGO partners, point-of-sale installations, print adverts, and a 20-second cinema advert that will run during children’s matinees. 

Erik Östensson, owner of Smakis, explains: “Smakis is a small company, so our primary marketing vehicle is our cartons. This campaign not only turns that vehicle into a hands-on way of teaching children the ecological importance of bees, but they also become an integral part of our eco-friendly approach to doing business.  Because let’s face it, without stable bee colonies, we can’t sustain a company based on organic farming.”

Paul Collins, Executive Creative Director at DigitasLBi Nordics, states: “Smakis has worked hard to establish themselves as the organic juice of choice for Swedish parents and their children. When multinational players began to encroach on the market, Smakis needed to secure their organic positioning and prove their sincere engagement for the environment. After a year of product development, seasonal logistics and collaboration with NGOs, 'Plant a Smakis' has done that – and more.”