Bubly Recruits Chad Michael Murray for a Y2K Summer

Bubly sparkling water is staging the comeback of millennial heartthrob Chad Michael Murray in its latest Y2K-inspired social campaign.

The brand pairs Murray with creator and podcast host Erin Miller to recreate the summer energy that defined early 2000s teen culture.

It comes alongside the launch of the limited-edition Melted Ice Pop flavor, a cherry, lime, and raspberry sparkling water with no calories or sweeteners.

The campaign centers on a social video set to The All-American Rejects' 2005 hit "Dirty Little Secret."

Here, Miller is transported into a playful rom-com daydream.

The spot is filled with nods to Murray's most recognizable on-screen moments.

"Playing into the hero love interest was a riot," he said.

"I feel like everyone can relate to those summer moments of heart-fluttering excitement. Pairing up with Bubly was all about unlocking that nostalgia with every sip."

Miller, who has built a following around 90s and 2000s pop culture, is essentially playing herself.

She's a millennial who grew up on the media Murray helped define, so the fit is obvious.

"Getting to recreate a Y2K rom-com moment with Chad Michael Murray felt like I somehow wandered into a movie I spent my teen years obsessing over," Miller shared.

Bubly Marketing Director Katelyn Meola connected the rom-com daydream directly to the new flavor's summer appeal.

Murray as the face of this daydream pulls in millennials who knew him from "One Tree Hill" before they even notice what the product launch is selling.

The Walmart-Only Merch Drop

Bubly is also launching a limited-edition Melted Ice Pop Y2K Summer Kit, available exclusively on Walmart.com starting June 25.

The kit comes with a digitally signed, teen magazine-style poster of Murray, a charm anklet, and an 8-pack of Melted Ice Pop.

It also packs an inflatable cooler, a beach towel, a tote, and other summer accessories, with every item carrying the early 2000s aesthetic.

The Walmart exclusivity is a deliberate retail move, giving the brand partnership a single, shoppable home while limiting availability to drive urgency.

Melted Ice Pop itself is a limited summer-run flavor inspired by the classic red, white, and blue ice pops that were a fixture of American summers for decades.

Available nationwide while supplies last, the flavor grounded the campaign in something true and accurate to the Y2K era. 

How Brands Can Use Cultural Memory

Bubly's Melted Ice Pop campaign is a clear example of how consumer brands can use a specific cultural era as a creative and commercial strategy:

• Cast talent who are the reference point: Brands get more mileage from talent who embody the moment than those who simply endorse the product.
• Pair influencers with built-in audience alignment: Miller's whole platform covers the exact era Bubly is referencing, so the collab needs almost no explanation.
• Make the merchandise earn its place: Each item in the campaign carries the specific aesthetic, and not just the limited-edition flavor.

Routing the whole kit through a single Walmart drop turns scattered fan interest into one trackable retail marketing play, which is easier to measure and restock.

Our Take: Is Nostalgia Enough to Sell a Product?

Every brand has once or twice leaned into nostalgia, but rarely do we see it done well. 

Bubly excludes itself from this narrative by focusing not just on the aesthetics and feeling of the 2000s.

The summer crush, the daydream, the fizzy, and slightly embarrassing hope of it all takes us back to a specific time. 

And Murray, for a generation of millennials, is genuinely tied to this memory in a way you just can't make up.

So, yes, nostalgia marketing can sell a product, but only if brands stop treating the marketing tactic like a costume party. 

Looking to build campaigns that don’t rely on starting from scratch?

Explore these top brand strategy agencies in our directory to turn existing equity into something that still lands.