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Published by SCoRe at July 1, 2025

Lifestyle Branding That Works: Bisleri’s Bold Shift with #DrinkItUp

Why did Bisleri focus on lifestyle branding for bottled water?

In 2024, Bisleri launched the #DrinkItUp campaign with one clear ambition—to use lifestyle branding to elevate bottled water into something aspirational. Rather than just a healthy habit, hydration was now shown as a part of modern, youth-driven life.

The campaign featured Deepika Padukone, but more importantly, it featured everyday moments made aspirational—gym routines, brunches, road trips, and dance parties. Hence, Bisleri placed hydration not in kitchens or clinics but at the centre of youth culture.

Through this approach, the brand achieved what many legacy FMCG companies aim for—it entered lifestyle conversations without changing the product itself.

When did the #DrinkItUp campaign take place and how was it rolled out?

Bisleri’s lifestyle branding initiative began in January 2024 with cryptic visuals and social media teasers. These hinted at a fresh new look and energy. By February, the core campaign launched across television and digital, with Deepika Padukone as the relatable face of hydration.

Between March and April, influencers, hydration challenges, and branded filters expanded the campaign’s footprint. On-ground activations ran throughout the year, especially during peak seasons like weddings and summer travel.

The consistent presence of Bisleri in both online and offline spaces allowed the lifestyle branding message to resonate deeply with young, social, mobile-first audiences.

What challenges made lifestyle branding necessary for Bisleri?

Although Bisleri had near-total brand awareness, its image was no longer exciting. Several issues triggered the need for lifestyle branding:

The bottled water segment had become commoditised.
Flavoured water and energy drinks were seen as more “fun” and youth-relevant.
Gen Z and millennials were looking for lifestyle alignment, not just utility.

Therefore, Bisleri had to shift from being a dependable option to a stylish one. A simple brand refresh wouldn’t have been enough. It needed a cultural reboot.

How was lifestyle branding executed through strategy and storytelling?

The lifestyle branding approach followed four key pillars:

Celebrity relatability: Deepika Padukone symbolised health, fashion, and youth without feeling out of reach.
Situational storytelling: The campaign showed hydration during brunches, workouts, and road trips—not in sterile, clinical settings.
Minimalist visual content: Reels, AR filters, and short videos conveyed emotion visually, not through heavy copy.
Emotional resonance: The slogan “#DrinkItUp” was not about thirst—it was about how you live, share, and show up.

Hence, Bisleri built an emotional context around a product often treated as purely functional.

What message did Bisleri aim to convey with lifestyle branding?

At its heart, the message was simple: Hydration is part of your identity.

The campaign wanted consumers to feel that carrying a Bisleri bottle wasn’t just smart—it was cool. From the way the product was held, styled, and even photographed, it became a lifestyle branding symbol, not just a plastic bottle.

The updated brand positioning was clear: Bisleri is for modern, fashion-conscious, wellness-focused Indians who see hydration as a personal expression.

How did Bisleri use different PR channels to amplify lifestyle branding?

Bisleri’s media mix reflected a true lifestyle branding campaign:

Television and Digital Films:
The commercial with Deepika was shot across aspirational, yet everyday locations—cafés, homes, gyms—making the narrative visually rich and culturally relevant.

Social Media & Influencers:
Instagram Reels featured fitness and fashion influencers showing off their “hydration moments.” Challenges, filters, and UGC-friendly content pushed reach organically.

Retail Activations:
Bisleri redesigned its packaging to reflect the #DrinkItUp vibe. Hydration booths at events and cafés further embedded the campaign into everyday youth hotspots.

Lifestyle Media Coverage:
Vogue, GQ, and Grazia India ran stories connecting Bisleri with the rise of “glam hydration.” Interviews with brand heads revealed how the brand reinvented itself through lifestyle branding.

Campus Engagements:
Activations across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Pune colleges drove student-led content creation, increasing cultural relevance.

Each touchpoint was intentional, reinforcing the narrative that hydration could be fashionable and expressive.

What impact did this lifestyle branding approach have on consumers and sales?

The results were both measurable and meaningful:

Online Performance:

The main video earned 50+ million views in under a month.
#DrinkItUp trended with over 200,000 user-generated Reels.
Among 18–30-year-olds, brand mentions rose by 35%.

Offline Results:

Sales jumped by 17% in urban outlets, especially for smaller, portable bottle sizes.
Packaging redesigns contributed to stronger shelf presence.

Perception Shift:

Post-campaign surveys showed a jump in associations with “modern,” “fashion,” “youth,” and “cool.” For a category like bottled water, that shift was significant—and it was powered by lifestyle branding.

What practical lessons does this campaign offer for PR students?

The #DrinkItUp campaign is now a case study in using lifestyle branding for PR success. Some key lessons include:

Even basic products can be culturally valuable if placed in the right emotional context.
Celebrity partnerships work better when rooted in everyday life, not fantasy.
Visual communication trumps written explanation in mobile-first campaigns.
Offline experiences matter—hydration booths brought the message into the physical world.
Consistency across platforms builds recall, especially among digitally savvy youth.

As Professor Ashita Aggarwal noted, “Bisleri didn’t just use a celebrity—they embedded their brand into a lifestyle, with clarity and charm.”

Were there any risks in Bisleri’s campaign strategy?

Yes, a few.

Overbranding with Celebrity:
Using Deepika Padukone across too many scenarios risked oversaturation. However, well-edited content and subtle placement avoided this.

Environmental Sensitivities:
Plastic waste concerns remain a reality for bottled water brands. By steering clear of sustainability claims and focusing on lifestyle branding, Bisleri avoided opening a conversation it wasn’t equipped to lead.

Because of careful messaging and well-chosen visuals, the campaign stayed out of controversy while achieving its goals.

Why does this campaign stand out in the world of lifestyle branding?

Several reasons make #DrinkItUp a milestone in Indian PR campaigns:

It showed how to elevate a low-involvement product using cultural cues.
It used lifestyle branding to make a commodity feel aspirational.
It blended celebrity influence with organic, real-life moments.
It created a multi-platform presence without sounding repetitive.
It proved that perception—not product change—can reposition a brand.

For PR professionals and students, it serves as a reminder that creativity, not budget or product category, is often the real differentiator.

Want to build your own campaign?

Curious how storytelling, visuals, and smart strategy can turn even basic products into cultural symbols?

At the School of Communication & Reputation (SCoRe), we teach you how to create breakthrough campaigns like #DrinkItUp through our PGDM in Public Relations and Corporate Communications.

Explore how brands win attention and loyalty by understanding the lifestyle choices of young India. Visit us today https://www.scoreindia.org/ or give a call at +91 98115 72673 to know about the course in Public Relations.

Lifestyle Branding: How Bisleri Made Hydration Stylish with #DrinkItUp