MUG Root Beer just sent a float higher than most airplanes fly to settle an argument that has lived on the internet for years.
The PepsiCo brand teamed up with Baskin-Robbins to mark National Root Beer Float Day (August 6) with a stunt built for the occasion.
The two are attaching a root beer float to a high-altitude balloon and launching it 114,100 feet into the sky.
It's an attempt to set a new world record for the highest altitude reached by a root beer float aboard a high-altitude balloon.
The two brands are pursuing the title jointly, and footage of the launch will premiere on MUG's social channels starting August 6.
This gives fans a front-row seat as the float makes its ascent well past the altitude of a commercial flight.
While the record attempt gives the campaign its news hook, the partnership also fits into a longer-running brand identity.
MUG mascot Dog, who handles most of the brand's public commentary, delivered the campaign's lone quote in typical form.
"2dai we made floats scienc. One smol sip for dawg. One giant gulp 4 dawgkind as we lyke 2 sai," he said.
How the Offers Line Up
Apart from the launch itself, MUG and Baskin-Robbins built out a two-part push to reach fans whether or not the record attempt is what draws them in.
In Los Angeles, participating Baskin-Robbins shops will sell three new limited-edition MUG Root Beer Float Flights starting August 6, while supplies last.
Each one is built as a trio of mini root beer floats:
- A Fruity option with Triple Mango, Cherries Jubilee and Vanilla ice cream
- A Nutty version with Pistachio Almond, Pralines 'n Cream and Vanilla
- A Candy flight with Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, Oreo S'mores and Vanilla
Each of the trio floats will be paired with MUG Root Beer.
Outside Los Angeles, the offer scales down to something any customer can use.
Baskin-Robbins Rewards members nationwide can get $2 off any medium or large float, or any frozen beverage, from August 1 through 31.
Turning a Meme Into a Record Attempt
"Do root beer floats float?" is a question that only exists because the internet decided to argue about it.
This is why sending one 114,100 feet into the sky is sure to draw some serious hype.
It's a different game plan than the one MUG ran earlier this summer for its Vanilla Howler launch.
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The soda brand tapped Yung Gravy to create a parody track of "Ice Ice Baby," and paired a music video launch with a TikTok Shop-exclusive product drop.
That campaign asked fans to recognize a '90s reference, while this one asks them to watch a livestream.
Both routes see Dog as the connective tissue.
Here are some takeaways for marketers watching this campaign:
- Give the bit a scoreboard: A joint world-record attempt makes the meme the event with an actual date, outcome, and footage to show for it.
- Separate the spectacle from the sale: The float going to space isn't for sale; the flights and the discount are. This means the stunt and the transaction never have to compete for the same moment.
- Localize the premium, nationalize the access. New products launch in one test market while a simpler discount covers the whole country, so the brand doesn't need every customer to travel.
A stunt based on a years-old internet joke only works if the payoff feels bigger than the joke itself.
A record attempt gives MUG exactly that kind of payoff.
Our Take: What's the Float Actually Selling?
We don't think anyone genuinely needed proof that a root beer float floats.
What we think MUG needed was a reason to get "root beer float" trending again right before National Root Beer Float Day.
A balloon headed toward the stratosphere does that better than another ad ever could.
The record attempt is the hook, but the $2 nationwide discount is the part of this campaign actually designed to move product.
Send something to the edge of space, sure, but make sure the thing you're actually selling is sitting at eye level in a cooler down here.
The genius of all this is how the two brands let the stunt do the talking, and let the price tag do the closing.
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