Roughly six months after hitting the market, MyMuse, the organic, vitamin-infused tea and water line launched by industry heavyweight Lance Collins, has found some inspiration of its own.
This week, the brand announced it has partnered with the D’Amelio family — also known as the “first family of TikTok” thanks to their 250 million combined followers on social media — to launch “The Inspiration Foundation,” a program that will hand out $100,000 to digital content creators over the remainder of 2021. Applicants will send in a video that showcases their individual passions and interests (and that incorporates MyMuse), with five winners selected by the family.
Known for her dance videos, 17-year-old Connecticut native Charli D’Amelio has quickly become the most popular creator on TikTok — over 123 million followers — and earned $4 million from her posts in 2020, according to Forbes. CPG watchers may recognize her from her appearance in a Super Bowl commercial for Sabras hummus last year. Meanwhile, her sister, Dixie, came in one spot behind her sibling on the Forbes list, raking in $2.9 million last year while picking up over 100 million views to date for her debut single, “Be Happy.”
“I was immediately drawn to mymuse’s mission to help people pursue what inspires them and encourage them to do whatever it takes to get there,” said Charli D’Amelio in a press release. “I feel very fortunate to be a creator myself who took a nontraditional route, so naturally, I loved the idea of getting involved with mymuse and helping others do the same, while supporting overall health so that nothing gets in their way. Plus, the fact that mymuse is so delicious made it a no-brainer.”
Speaking with BevNET, mymuse CMO Eric Berniker noted that the product and brand was developed by Collins to be “what’s right for the moment,” pointing to on-trend immunity benefits. Under the halo of health and wellness, the brand’s ethos is “all about bringing positivity and inspiration,” characteristics that align with TikTok’s vibe.
“When you look at TikTok versus other platforms, Instagram is all about showing off your perfect moment, which, you know, most of the time isn’t real. TikTok is all about just having fun and positivity and things like that,” Berniker said. “So kind of diving into that platform and looking at that as a place where we want to put a major push as far as our marketing platform, it really made sense.”
With its new partners helping spread awareness, MyMuse is looking to build on its growth from earlier this year, which saw the brand enter New York City through DSD powerhouse Big Geyser as well as national distribution with natural grocery chain Sprouts and in select regions with Bristol Farms. The brand will look to expand to conventional outlets by Q2 or Q3 next year, Berniker said, at which point Collins’ ongoing partnership with beer conglomerate Molson Coors could kick into gear. The company is an investor in both MyMuse and ZEN WTR, the latter of which has partnered with affiliated DSD houses like Columbia Distributing in the Pacific Northwest.
With organic beverages and immunity boosting ingredients having gone mainstream, Berniker noted that MyMuse is positioning itself to be as accessible as possible by pricing it similarly to mainstream brands (SRP $2.49 per 16.9 oz. PET bottle). The line features five flavors of zero-sugar, low-calorie enhanced waters — Watermelon, Blueberry Pom Açai, Blood Orange Citrus, Coconut Colada, and Peach Mango — along with five teas, including Lemon Black Tea, Lemon Honey Green Tea, Peach Black Tea, Raspberry Green Tea and Sweet Black Brewed Tea.