Welch's assembled a mostly new agency team for its 2026 holiday campaign.
The change offers a fresh look at how the brand assigns creative work across its Sparkling portfolio.
Its new campaign, "That's Worth a Toast," centers on "Before the Toast."
The five-episode microdrama stars Christy Carlson Romano, Sabrina Bryan, HeatherMorris, and BrendanRooney.
Accenture Song leads creative, Salt XC handles paid media, Matter Communications oversees public relations, and Superlative leads production.
Matt Kazman directs the series, which follows friends through the mishaps and unexpected connections of holiday gatherings.
Episodes will run on Welch's Instagram and TikTok from Nov. 17 through Dec. 8.
"The holidays can be a whirlwind," Romano said in a press release.
"Even with so much going on, I try to make time for the traditions and little experiences that become memories we hold onto forever."
The campaign also includes creator partnerships, social giveaways, and retail and streaming activations with Instacart, Disney+ and Hulu.
Welch's uses the series to promote its Sparkling juice portfolio and introduce a new low-sugar grape flavor.
The agency roster is the more consequential business development.
Welch's replaced three of the four agencies involved in last year's Sparkling holiday campaign.
The changes offer a timely case study in how brands assemble specialist agency teams around individual platforms and assignments.
A New Agency Roster for Sparkling
Only Matter Communications remains from the four-agency team behind its 2025 Sparkling campaign.
Last year, Terri & Sandy handled creative, Flywheel managed paid media, and Superdigital oversaw social, influencers, and brand activations.
Accenture acquired Superdigital in August 2025, bringing the social and influencer agency into Accenture Song.
This means Superdigital's capabilities now sit within the same agency group leading Welch's creative work.
The change follows Welch's decision to drop its traditional agency-of-record model.
Welch's also underwent a leadership change in October 2025.
Scott Utke left the company, and Andrew Hartshorn took a newly created chief brand and innovation officer position.
Five Episodes Put Welch's Sparkling in the Story
"That's Worth a Toast," focuses on social microdrama "Before the Toast," directed by Matt Kazman.
Each episode covers a different celebration, including Thanksgiving, a talent show, backyard games, Christmas Eve, and New Year's Eve.
The trailer debuted Nov. 9, and episodes will premiere weekly on Welch's Instagram and TikTok.
Welch's Chief Brand and Innovation Officer Andrew Hartshorn also explained the brand's intent to connect with changing holiday traditions.
"Every generation puts its own stamp on the holidays," Hartshorn said.
He added that Welch’s wants Sparkling to feature in the celebrations families are creating today.
The campaign also extends into creator partnerships, paid media, community engagement, and retail activations.
Welch's is partnering with Instacart to offer complimentary full-size bottles of Sparkling Juice ahead of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Consumers can access the offer through Welch's Sparkling product cards in the Instacart app, while supplies last.
The brand is also running social giveaways through its Send a Toast activation.
Disney+ and Hulu will feature Welch's Sparkling ads alongside seasonal programming, including 25 Days of Christmas.
The campaign also introduces Welch's Sparkling Low Sugar Grape, available exclusively at Walmart.
The new roster gives Welch's specialist support across creative, media, production, and public relations while the brand tests episodic storytelling.
Microdramas Surpass 6.5 Billion YouTube Views
Microdramas are gaining traction as brands experiment with serialized social content.
YouTube's September 2026 figures offer a timely measure of the format's reach.
The platform reported more than 6.5 billion microdrama views globally during the first half of 2026.
Microdrama watch time increased by over 50% year over year on YouTube.
YouTube also reported that microdrama views on television screens grew over 90% year over year.
Rising viewing time gives advertisers a stronger reason to test serialized content and track audience retention across episodes.
The increase also suggests the format is reaching viewers across screens, even as brands design campaigns for mobile-first platforms.
Brands planning a social-first marketing strategy can take three lessons from Welch's campaign:
Match Episode Length to the Creative Ambition
Brands should establish the story arc and production commitment before choosing an episode count.
Each installment needs a reason for viewers to return.
Give Every Agency a Defined Responsibility
Brands using multiple agencies should assign clear ownership across creative development, media, production, and communications.
Welch's 2025 campaign named four separate partners, with Terri & Sandy handling creative and Superdigital overseeing social, influencers, and activations.
Choose Directors With Format Experience
Agencies should evaluate directors on their experience with short-form storytelling and the platforms where audiences will watch.
Matt Kazman's commercial and branded-content credits include Google, Amazon, Toyota, Intel, and Sephora.
Welch's uses specialist agency partnerships and serialized entertainment to give its Sparkling portfolio a distinct seasonal marketing strategy.
Our Take: Can Welch's Maintain Agency Continuity?
Welch's needs to preserve account knowledge as individual agency assignments change.
Superdigital now sits within Accenture Song, the group leading this year's creative work.
This gives the new roster an organizational connection to last year's team.
But the acquisition does not reveal whether the same people, creator relationships, or account knowledge remain involved.
We see this as the main risk of project-based agency rosters.
Brands can hire specialists around individual assignments, but they still need consistent ownership of strategy, approvals, and performance reporting.
Otherwise, each new campaign risks restarting the learning process.
Agency flexibility only delivers value when brands preserve institutional knowledge between projects.
Agency consolidation is also playing out at holding-company level, as Publicis Groupe's completed LiveRamp acquisition demonstrates.
Brands assembling similar teams can explore these top creative agencies, media buying agencies, and video production companies through DesignRush.
