• by Erik Oster , January 31, 2024

This Valentine’s Day, one brand is providing a foolproof way to avoid texting an ex.

Hoppy water brand Hop Wtr has launched a “DNT TXT” Valentine’s Day campaign built around a tongue-in-cheek promotion with a simple message: “Don’t text your ex.” The brand is offering people a chance to win a “DNT TXT” lockbox to store their phone in on Feb. 14, with the brand then sending the combination to unlock it on the morning of Feb. 15. Winners will also receive a 12-pack of the brand’s Ruby Red Grapefruit variety. To enter, Hop Wtr is asking people to fill out an informational form on a dedicated site, and to follow the brand on Instagram.

“Hop Wtr’s brand is all about bringing the positivity and refreshment, but we also like to have fun,” Hop Wtr co-founder and CEO Jordan Bass told Marketing Daily. He said  the campaign is delivered to consumers with a wink, while also “subtly pointing out that you won’t down Hop Wtr and wake up with regret -- or have texted your ex on Valentine’s Day,” a message the brand thinks will resonate both with single people and those in relationships who recall their single days.

In other words, it’s a humorous and relatable way to connect with consumers about the benefits of enjoying the beverage instead of, or to moderate, drinking. These are factors set to attract millennial and drinking age Gen Z audiences in particular. A recently published survey of over 1,000 Americans by NCSolutions found that 61% of Gen Z consumers born between 1997 and 2002, and 49% of millennials, said they planned to drink less in 2024.

Bass explained the campaign built on the irreverent voice the brand had developed over the course of previous campaigns, such as its recent “Hopnotist” promotion offering to hypnotize customers for Dry January.

It’s also not the first time the brand has focused on locking something away from consumers. Hop Wtr’s previous Dry January activation, “Hop Lockr,” hinged on locking booze away for the month, an effort Bass called the brand’s “first big foray into fun brand acts.”

“It’s an unexpected laugh and it’s entertainment, not [just] marketing. People want to be entertained - they want to have fun and want to hang with brands that don’t take marketing, or themselves, too seriously,” Bass said.

“Plus, it’s solid advice,” he added. “Don’t text your ex on Valentine’s Day.”