This Iced Tea Brand Crashed Canada with a Cinematic Coast-to-Coast Adventure
Canadian iced tea lovers may have had some shocks earlier this year when several beloved brands suddenly vanished from the shelves. However, even with FUZE® set to imminently replace them, what were fans supposed to do about the bottle-sized hole in their hearts?
As it turns out – just make the switch. According to Coca-Cola, the company had actually been producing and bottling its proprietary iced tea recipe under third-party owned trademarks prior to the end of 2024. With the launch of FUZE®, the brand was simply streamlining its offering. Same recipe, new name.
However, that message needed to land clearly, which is exactly where WPP Open X, led by VML, stepped in with a new, Mark Zibert-directed spot, titled ‘The Great Flavour Run’. Following one man’s coast-to-coast quest to share FUZE® Iced Tea, from snowy mountaintops to prairie fields, idyllic lakes to city bars, it’s work that captures the diversity of Canada while simultaneously celebrating the joy that comes with sharing – a fun, lighthearted and cinematic way to bring this new offering to market.
To learn more about how this came to life , and why now was the right time to introduce FUZE® Iced Tea to the Canadian market – LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt sat down with WPP Open X’s chief creative officer Graham Lang, and Coca-Cola Canada’s director of integrated marketing, Jacques Blanchet.
LBB> From the top, tell us about FUZE®! What brought the brand to Canada?
Jacques> For the past 30 years, Coca-Cola has owned the recipe for Canada’s number one iced tea, but we were producing and bottling it under third-party owned trademarks. So, at the end of 2024, we made the decision to produce this iconic iced tea recipe under the FUZE® Iced Tea brand.
Bringing FUZE® Iced Tea into The Coca-Cola Company portfolio gives us the ability to drive more innovation by introducing new flavours, includes the brand in our global marketing campaigns, and improves our ability to deliver value for our consumers and customers.
LBB> With that in mind, what was the brief for this campaign, and what immediate ideas came to mind?
Jacques> The brief was clear: Introduce FUZE® Iced Tea to Canada, while assuring iced tea fans that the iconic flavour they’ve enjoyed for years is here to stay. Our priority was, and still is, to focus on the familiar flavour and taste, letting Canadians know the recipe they grew up with remains unchanged.
Early discussions with our agency partners centred on approaching the campaign in a different way. We knew Canadians love the taste – they just needed to be made aware that it’s FUZE® Iced Tea.
Graham> From here, we knew that to launch this familiar and iconic iced tea under a new name in Canada, it had to be done in a very Canadian way. So, we wanted this moment to feel celebratory, like something new and big was happening, but at the centre of it, there needed to be an insight and a tone that felt unique to the brand. We wanted to make it feel instantly new and nostalgic at the same time.
LBB> Specifically, capturing the joy of sharing something delicious with a coast-to-coast adventure is super fun! Where did this insight come from, and how did you go about planning for a film capturing this?
Graham> There is something undeniably human and inherently Canadian about wanting to share something great with your friends, neighbours and community. So, we elevated that idea and hyperbolised it through an epic adventure across Canada.
Planning-wise, writing an epic journey in a script is easy… but finding a production partner to pull it off – that’s a completely different sport. All credit to the amazing humans at Scouts Honour for making it all happen, seemingly effortlessly. From the agency POV, we knew there was a tonne of planning going on, but on the surface, we didn’t feel it. This meant that we could just focus on the performances and crafting each shot. Meanwhile, they definitely agonised over the shooting schedule to make sure that we moved efficiently from location to location. When we arrived at each one, the team on the ground was prepared with expert precision to execute the action in the allotted time.
LBB> What was the writing process like? How did you strike a balance between funny, sentimental, and come up with such a wide array of sharing scenarios?
Graham> For this, we had a few creatives lean in and help. Ideas were coming in from everywhere and the best ones stuck. And then, of course, we had the brilliant Mark Zibert’s input. He really helped with carving out three distinct acts for the whole story, and he dialled in the pacing and range of emotions.
One thing that was added quite late in the writing process was the narrator. I felt this really helped to elevate the hyperbolic nature of the whole thing and gave it that legendary vibe, but in a self-aware way.
LBB> Speaking of Mark Zibert, what made him the right man for the director job? And what was working with him like?
Graham> We knew our script was ambitious, especially in the time we had. And in Mark's career, he has proven time and time again that he can tell epic stories while still pulling on all the right emotional strings.
When we saw Mark's treatment and the way he and his team had interpreted the character – ‘half hipster and half hoser, with a heart of gold’ – we knew he understood the story we were trying to tell. And of course, we knew it was going to be beautiful and cinematic, just based on Mark's own reputation.
LBB> With that in mind, where did you shoot? What went into finding the right film locations, and how did you approach capturing the spirit of each one?
Graham> A lot of work went into making each location feel like a cross-country adventure. For example, our ice fishing scene, meant to reflect Canada's North, was actually filmed in the bottom of a quarry, with the entire set sprayed with paper mâché to look like fresh snow, and a custom ice fishing hut, of course. The production team was very creative!
LBB> Do you have any anecdotes from on set and your travels? How did everything go?
Graham> The whole production team were such pros that even if there had been some wild things happening behind the scenes, we were mostly spared the details! Everyone moved so fast and the nature of the shoot was so run and gun at times.
That being said, while we were shooting the pickup truck scene, our DOP Erik Kaskens, was screaming for a portable washroom to be moved out of his shot. Meanwhile a member of the crew who was in the middle of some business braced himself for the ride of his life! That had everyone laughing pretty hard. And Spencer Teeter, our talent was an absolute trooper; we were very lucky he could swim so well after launching himself into a lake with a backpack full of iced tea… while wearing a Canadian tuxedo!
LBB> You also scored everything to ‘Money City Maniacs’ by Halifax’s Sloan. What made this the right soundtrack for the job, and how did you come across it?
Graham> We wanted this spot to feel quintessentially Canadian and nostalgic, and of course we needed a powerful driving beat to match the action. That led us to Sloan – among some other Canadian classics even before the shoot – but we had no idea if we'd ever be able to secure it.
We scoured through literally hundreds of other Canadian tracks of varying cost and fame, but we could never beat ‘Money City Maniacs’. We really can't imagine the spot with any other track, and we still love hearing it, even though by now we've heard it a thousand times.
LBB> What challenges have you faced during this project? How did you overcome them?
Graham> We certainly faced a lot of challenges along the way. You only get one opportunity to launch a new brand, so we needed to make sure everything from concept to execution was perfect, meaning we had a tonne of rounds of creative before finally arriving at an idea that really felt right for this brand. That definitely crunched our production timeline! Thankfully, our clients were incredibly supportive along the way, and then finding the right partners who were so ready to jump in the trenches with us and deliver was what allowed us to succeed.
Jacques> One of the biggest challenges was ensuring Canadians understood that FUZE® Iced Tea delivers the same great taste they’ve always enjoyed, just with a new name. To address this, we made flavour the hero of our messaging, ‘One sip, and you’ll know'. This message captures the reassurance we wanted to convey.
LBB> What lessons have you learned from the making of this campaign?
Graham> Dream big! There were times when what we were setting out to do felt impossible, but when everyone on the team is excited about the work they're doing, it's amazing what can be accomplished. And nobody embodied that spirit more than our clients; their genuine excitement and passion for making great work really comes through in the final spot. Massive appreciation for them.
LBB> Since launch, how have people reacted to this campaign?
Graham> People seem to really like it. It does evoke some nostalgia in people, and it's hard not to smile at the absurdity of the whole thing. Our client has been happy with the response and we hope it puts the FUZE® Iced Tea brand on the map for people.
Jacques> The response to the launch has been extremely positive from consumers. The campaign’s theme of celebrating Canadian culture and showcasing iconic locations from coast to coast is perfectly timed for this moment, and we’re proud that the launch of FUZE® Iced tea is an ode to Canada.
LBB> How did this campaign fit into Coca-Cola’s plans for 2025 and beyond?
Jacques> The launch of FUZE® Iced Tea marks a key milestone in Coca-Cola’s strategy to strengthen its leadership in the ready-to-drink tea category. Under the FUZE® Iced Tea brand, we now have the ability to unlock new consumption occasions, introduce new flavour innovations, and accelerate growth in this important segment.
Our launch is supported by the largest digital sampling campaign in Coca-Cola Canada’s history, and an ambitious consumer sampling program with a goal of delivering millions of product samples throughout 2025. As part of this, the FUZE® Iced Tea Flavour Fleet will travel coast-to-coast, delivering two million product samples to ensure every Canadian has a chance to experience the same great iced tea taste they have known and loved for decades. We’ve already visited iconic locations from Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia to Tofino, British Columbia, and Canadians can expect to see the Flavour Fleet’s cross-country tour continue throughout the summer.
LBB> Finally, is there a shot or particular sequence in this campaign you’re particularly proud of?
Graham> Everyone on the team is going to have a different favourite shot – there are so many to choose from! But one that stands out collectively is the drone shot of Spencer pushing his shopping cart full of FUZE® Iced Tea into the mountains. It's just so pretty. We also love the moment where Spencer takes the plunge at the end in the maritime bar – that shot is full of life.
Jacques> There are several standout shots that we’re proud of. But one of the most memorable moments is when Spencer runs into the water to hand a couple a bottle of FUZE® Iced Tea, capturing the great lengths we’re taking to deliver Canadians their first sip.
The Flavour Fleet also has created incredible opportunities for content capture, with a standout being a shot of the team walking across the frozen surface of Abraham Lake, Alberta, with FUZE®-branded ice kites in the sky behind them – something you’d only be able to capture in Canada.
