Premium water brand Icelandic Glacial is joining the celeb club, announcing today a sponsorship agreement with Dancing With the Stars performer Julianne Hough, its first ever brand partnership with a celebrity influencer.
The relationship with Hough will include a digital marketing campaign called “You Are What You Drink, Be Exceptional,” with Hough agreeing to promote the brand in interviews and on social media.
“Harnessing energy and prioritizing movement are two of my life’s passions,” said Hough in a statement. “However, I can’t do either without maintaining a healthy and vital lifestyle – and that starts with hydration. I look forward to this partnership with Icelandic Glacial, a brand that shares my mission to inspire others to embrace their full potential.”
At this time, the partnership does not include an investment or equity relationship, but Icelandic Glacial CEO Reza Mirza said that Hough had been a longtime fan of the brand and was in talks with the company about the endorsement for more than a year.
He also suggested that Hough represents the image of health and wellness that Icelandic Glacial aims to represent.
“We didn’t just want someone to hold a bottle,” he told BevNET.
According to CEO Reza Mirza, the company has been conservative in its marketing spend up to this point in its 21-year history, with Mirza’s primary vision for the brand focused on establishing a strong international market presence before investing in awareness campaigns. Currently, Icelandic Glacial is sold in 32 countries – with a goal of expanding to 40 by the end of the year and 60 by 2028 – with around 60,000 stores in the U.S. alone.
“You want to be at critical mass in order to make an impact,” Mirza said, adding that now the company is ready to turn the dial and unleash an “aggressive” marketing blitz with several more announcements slated over the next few weeks.
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t still room to grow distribution: in the U.S., Mirza said the brand only holds a 56% ACV in conventional grocery and 60% in natural. As well, Icelandic Glacial has a “long runway” for convenience, no presence in the club channel and is in only 500 Walmart locations out of more than 4,000 stores.
While repeat sales are high – around 80% compared to just 65% for the rest of the premium water category, Mirza said – awareness is still “very low,” making Hough’s involvement a big step forward for growing recognition.
The business has been hiring in recent months to support the tougher sales and marketing drive, he added.
The partnership with Hough will also aim to highlight the brand’s extended product line, which now includes cans, glass bottles and flavored sparkling water options.
Mirza’s ultimate goal: make Icelandic Glacial a “one stop shop” for hydration.
“Our vision is to be the complete hydration company,” he said.