German mineral water company VILSA launches national campaign for glass-like coated PET bottles

2026-02-03 2:10 min Mineral water, Sustainability & Circular Economy, Bottle development and design

VILSA-BRUNNEN Bruchhausen-Vilsen, Germany

As the first mineral water producer in Germany, the family-run company from Lower Saxony has consistently used glass-like freshness protection technology for all products in its disposable PET portfolio, including organic mineral water and soft drinks. With a wide-reaching national campaign, VILSA is placing this innovation at the heart of its brand communication, demonstrating how the best of both worlds can be combined.

Optimal protection for sensitive, natural products

VILSA's freshness protection technology combines the advantages of glass and PET, offering high-quality product protection and environmental responsibility. Offering the protection and freshness of glass bottles, it is as light, robust and suitable for everyday use as a PET bottle. The result is a packaging solution that consistently delivers quality and flexibility. At the same time, the bottle made from 100% rPET remains fully recyclable, as the coating is removed during the recycling process. This makes freshness protection technology a sustainable solution that combines product quality with environmental awareness.

The water bottle of the future

“With our freshness protection technology, we are setting new standards in the disposable portfolio. This campaign now makes this claim visible,” says Hans-Dietrich Kühl, CEO of VILSA-BRUNNEN. ‘We are very proud to be implementing this campaign with two such suitable personalities and to be planning a long-term collaboration.’

The mineral water company has enlisted the support of two public favourites: all-round entertainer Klaas Heufer-Umlauf (42) and streaming star Papaplatte (29, real name Kevin Andreas Teller). In creative, humorous commercials, they demonstrate what maximum freshness protection means at VILSA: the best of both worlds, with maximum preservation of taste and freshness thanks to a wafer-thin, glass-like protective layer inside the bottle.

Fresh approach to targeting the audience

For VILSA, this is one of the company's largest campaigns to date. The company is therefore making freshness protection a core promise accessible to various customer segments. "We deliberately chose two testimonials: Klaas represents our core target group, which remains important, while Kevin is particularly relevant to younger target groups. As with the VILSA freshness protection bottle, this approach offers the best of both worlds in terms of communication," explains Julia Kornau, Head of Media, Digital & Sponsoring at VILSA.

Papaplatte (29) & Klaas Heufer-Umlauf (42). (Photo credit: VILSA)

The campaign was implemented with the Hamburg-based creative agency Häppy, and the media planning was handled by Peak Value.

The national campaign uses two key visuals under the motto 'The water bottle of the future', as well as several creative moving image spots tailored to each channel and target group. It is supported by a broad mix of digital media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Google, Pinterest and LinkedIn, as well as digital out-of-home, connected TV and addressable TV. The campaign will generate over 200 million contacts. In addition, POS placements will accompany the campaign in-store, and promotional labels on the bottles are also planned.

A partnership with personality and perspective

For Klaas Heufer-Umlauf, this collaboration is personal, too. "VILSA is a part of my home," he says. I grew up in Lower Saxony, where VILSA water was always on the table. I've been a fan for a very long time. In fact, I'm the only German celebrity who can pronounce 'Frischeschutzflasche' correctly,” he says. Papaplatte also emphasises the collaborative and innovative nature of the campaign: ‘I find the concept of glass and PET very convincing, and I really enjoyed filming with Klaas and the team, as you can see in the clips,’ he says. The special thing about this is that a long-term collaboration has been agreed with Klaas and Papaplatte.

www.vilsa.de

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German mineral water company VILSA launches national campaign for glass-like coated PET bottles

Optimal protection for sensitive, natural products

The water bottle of the future

Fresh approach to targeting the audience

A partnership with personality and perspective

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