Izze’s our kind of company—particularly before they sold to Pepsi. Still, Pepsi has stewarded the brand well, it seems, not dumbing it down with yucky unhealthy ingredients for messing with the preternaturally cool Izze aesthetic.

What’s Izze? And why do we dig it so? Founded by cool good people in Boulder, Colorado, it has

1) the most gorgeous branding and bottle design, like, ever…
2) it was the first natural “soda” to hit the mainstream without added sugars…
3) and it gave tons of money to charity.

We’ve worked with ’em off and on for years, they’ve sponsored our elevision talk shows (now called Walk the Talk Show) from time to time with good yummy juice. And now, below, they’ve got an out-of-the-box new social media and advertising campaign via our friends at Buddhist-owned-elegant-green-minded Boulder-based Vermiliion Design:

You’ll Love What’s Inside:

Vermilion Launches Stylish Ad Campaign and Viral Website for IZZE

New Multichannel Campaign and Sweepstakes Lets Consumers Get Creative

BOULDER, Colo. (November 2, 2009)—Vermilion, the design and interactive agency based in Boulder, Colorado, announced the launch of a new marketing campaign and online promotion for its client IZZE® Beverage Company. The campaign, titled “You’ll Love What’s Inside” highlights IZZE’s all-natural sparkling juices and provides consumers with the opportunity to engage creatively with the IZZE brand.

Print ads supporting the campaign debut this month in Details, Entertainment Weekly, GQ, InStyle, People and People Style Watch. Vermilion designed the ads to feature the striking visual of real fruit inside of IZZE bottles, showing that IZZE products are made of pure fruit juice and sparkling water, with no refined sugars, caffeine, preservatives, artificial colors or flavors. The ads also include a call to action for consumers to create and send messages to their friends at www.IZZE.com/share.

Vermilion centered the online campaign around a fun, easy-to-use IZZE Sparkle Generator that connects people with their friends. Visitors can send their friends Sparkles—messages that describe what’s special about a friend, about “what’s on the inside.” These uplifting messages are lighthearted and creative, reflecting IZZE’s core brand equities as well as the positive spirit of IZZE fans.

Sparkles can be sent directly from the www.IZZE.com/share website or via a Facebook Connect link on the site. The site also links to IZZE’s blog, Twitter and Facebook feeds.

“It’s really all about community,” according to Paul DesRosiers, Vermilion creative director. “The IZZE share site lets fans connect with one another and with everything IZZE.”

“We talked to our consumers and something that continued to come up was how they connect with their friends and family by sharing IZZE with them,” said Kelly Carioti, IZZE VP. “We’re providing an easy and fun platform for them to create and send endearing messages to the special people in their life.”

Additionally, sharing what’s inside may bring consumers a little something to wear outside. People who send and have at least 20 Sparkles accepted by their friends will receive a limited edition IZZE Sparkling Lime t-shirt while supplies last. Visitors can also have a chance to win an IZZE-branded iPod Shuffle by having 100 Sparkles accepted by their friends.

About Vermilion

Boulder-based Vermilion is a design and interactive agency offering clients a full spectrum of services, including identity, advertising, packaging, and web design. The 20-person firm is known for its work for many consumer product companies, including Allegro Coffee, Fiji Water, Niman Ranch, Case Logic, and of course IZZE Beverage Company. Other notable projects include naming and marketing of Boulder’s Twenty Ninth Street retail development, marketing and web development of Boulder’s ClimateSmart carbon reduction program, and ads, catalogs and web development for the University of Colorado’s division of Continuing Education and Professional Development. For more information, visit www.vermilion.com

About IZZE Beverage Company

IZZE Beverage Company was founded in 2002 by two friends who set out to create a distinctive natural beverage while contributing to a higher purpose and is based in Boulder, CO. IZZE is available in eight flavors: Sparkling Apple, Sparkling Blackberry, Sparkling Blueberry, Sparkling Clementine, Sparkling Grapefruit, Sparkling Lime, Sparkling Peach and Sparkling Pomegranate, and is sold in four-packs, 12-packs, single-serve 12- and 16-ounce glass bottles, and single-serve 8.4-ounce cans. It is sold nationally in Target, Starbucks and Whole Foods Market as well as in a variety of grocery stores, delis, and restaurants across the country. IZZE’s philanthropic focus is to improve people’s lives through education and to encourage literacy by providing books and educational opportunities to those in need. IZZE brings this focus to life through a partnership with Global Education Fund. For more information, visit www.IZZE.com.

PS: Fan Izze’s Facebook Page, just click image below:

More ads from Vermilion’s campaign for Izze, including the cool Sparkle Generator for Facebook: