In the spotlight:

"Why?"

2025 Silver Effie Winner

Effie is about awarding ideas that work, educating about effective marketing and showcasing the best work to enhance learning in our industry.

CAMPAIGN NAME

Why?

CATEGORY

Best of Europe: Food & Beverage

CLIENT

Valvis Holding

LEAD AGENCY

Cohn & Jansen Creative Network

CONTRIBUTING AGENCY

Media Investment

CAMPAIGN DESCRIPTION

Launched in Romania in 2017, AQUA Carpatica Kids was the first bottled water specifically developed for children in its market. Sourced from the exclusive Băjenaru Spring, the water stands out for its exceptional purity, low sodium content and extremely low nitrate levels. Its child-friendly bottle, spill-proof cap and playful packaging were designed with young consumers in mind.

As competition intensified, AQUA Carpatica Kids needed to reinforce what truly differentiated it: not just the bottle, but the water inside. The “Why?” campaign turned children's natural curiosity into a powerful communication platform, encouraging parents to question their everyday choices and discover why water quality matters. By celebrating curiosity as a healthy habit for both children and adults, the brand connected product superiority with an emotionally engaging message.

THE CHALLENGE

Despite commanding over 90% of Romania's children's bottled water market, AQUA Carpatica Kids faced growing competition from established brands introducing child-friendly formats, colourful packaging and popular cartoon characters.

While these competitors focused primarily on packaging, AQUA Carpatica Kids offered water from a spring exclusively reserved for children, with distinctive mineral properties.

The challenge was further complicated by Romania's declining birth rate, which was shrinking the brand's potential consumer base. With a premium price point and an already dominant market share, opportunities for growth appeared limited.

The brand therefore needed to achieve three ambitious goals: increase sales volumes, defend and strengthen its market leadership, and expand the entire children's water category by convincing more parents to choose specially developed water over regular bottled water.

STRATEGIC APPROACH AND EXECUTION

The campaign targeted modern Romanian parents who prioritise their children's wellbeing and development but often struggle to balance these aspirations with the pressures of everyday life. The central insight was simple: while children question everything, parents sometimes forget to question their own choices.

Built around the idea “Curiosity is healthy”, the campaign transformed children's endless “Whys?” into a creative platform that encouraged parents to reconsider what matters when choosing water for their children.

A nationwide campaign combined TV, radio, digital advertising and social media, using playful conversations between children and parents to communicate the product's distinctive qualities. Special radio and entertainment partnerships celebrated children's curiosity, while unexpected five-second TV spots challenged viewers to question advertising claims. An AI-powered chatbot, accessible through QR codes on bottles, helped parents answer children's questions in simple, accessible language.

Clear evidence of success:

90%+ market share maintained and strengthened
Category growth despite a declining birth rate
Increased sales despite premium pricing
Stronger differentiation from competitors

RESULTS

+40% in monthly sales volume compared to the previous year
+53% in monthly sales value compared to the previous year
+2.2 % points in volume market share, strengthening market leadership
+2.5 % points in value market share, outperforming competitors
98% Brand Health Index, exceeding the previous benchmark of 92%
+10.5 % points in positive brand sentiment, reaching 46.1%
65,000+ social media engagements, exceeding the target of 50,000
+50% above benchmarks in digital advertising click-through rates

WHY A GOLD & SILVER EFFIE? Here's what the jurors said.

"I found the case extremely logical, well-structured and to the point, with a decent approach to the targets."

"The challenge, objectives and results, because they clearly highlight the mountain the brand had to overcome (growing in market share when already a leader, with more competitors and fewer consumers)."

"Great commercial results that clearly show growth above the category, driven by comms. Good building of the audience mindset to arrive at the insight, which is clearly shown in the creative work."

"Quite smart how you turned the perception that all waters are the same into a dialogue about the differences in quality, in quite an entertaining, emotional and fun way. Great creative execution."

"The whole case is well explained, and the sections are linked well. It's a full-scale campaign by a market leader trying to stay on top in a very competitive and ad-driven category. The objectives are tough and hard to reach, even though the numbers might sound a bit tiny. Very good understanding of the target group and a media strategy that reached them 100%."

Check out the full Case Study!