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Hint · 2019–2021 · Lead Copywriter

Making water fun

  • Led brand copy and strategy for Hint, a DTC flavored water company, across every channel the brand spoke through.
  • Ran the promotional campaign behind Hint’s 2020 Super Bowl commercial and the launch of the CEO’s NYT bestselling book.
Brand voice Campaign strategy Data-informed copy
Making water fun

The problem

Hint’s value-prop is subtle, and water isn’t necessarily exciting. The challenge for this brand was to make people care about something commonplace (water), in a highly saturated DTC market.

The brief

Give water a personality that will make customers remember us in the supermarket, corner store, or online.

What I did

I was the lead copywriter, working with the creative director and design team. The work spanned across:

Brand voice everywhere

Email, website, paid and organic social, e-retail, affiliate, and product descriptions, all in one consistent voice.

The Super Bowl moment

Led the promotional campaign around Hint’s 2020 Super Bowl commercial, turning one 30-second spot into weeks of brand attention.

The CEO’s book launch

Led brand copy for the release of the founder’s book, which became a New York Times bestseller.

Data-informed iteration

Used performance insights to continuously sharpen the creative, so the voice stayed fun and kept converting.

Sample 1

Seasonal campaigns and flavor launches

Turning a mango flavor drop and a Father’s Day gifting moment into emails worth opening.

Hint mango flavor launch promotional email with 'How do you spell mouthwatering?' headline Hint Father’s Day promotional email with 'the perfect gift for dads’ headline

Sample 2

Limited-time flavor landing page

Playful pairings and hand-drawn illustration brought a pineapple peach smashup to life online.

Hint flavor launch landing pages cycling through pineapple peach and lemon campaigns

And then what happened?

  • Hint’s commercial aired during the 2020 Super Bowl, one of the most-watched advertising moments of the year, carried by the campaign around it.
  • The founder’s book hit the NYT bestseller list.
  • The brand grew into the largest non-alcoholic private beverage company in the US during this period. My voice and copy work was part of that brand-building.

What I learned

Hint taught me the balancing act of building a lifestyle brand in a DTC world. The short-term levers were easy to pull but a lifestyle brand isn’t built on “40% off”. I was proud to champion the voice and feel that led to loyalty, retention and a brand that people remember.