Energy drink brand Ryde has made its Canadian debut in Toronto with an experiential activation at Union Station in partnership with Wavemaker, TAXI, and 10 Star.

As the days get shorter and winter looms on the horizon, the brand is betting its message of “wellbeing in every shot,” will resonate with local commuters.

The Union Station activation runs from November 6-17, and features three “sound showers” for each of Ryde’s three drink SKUs. Passerbys can stand underneath one of each sound shower (themed on “energize,” “focus,” and “relax”), where they are immersed in mood-matching audio.

The campaign is designed not just to build awareness around the brand and the products, but “also highlight the unique proposition Ryde is offering,” Sandra Cardoso, managing director, client leadership at Wavemaker tells MiC. 

The activation emphasizes and reinforces that Ryde’s products are not just energy drinks, but a range of products designed “to let you pick and choose what you’re needing at a particular point in the day,” says Cardoso.

The launch targets urban professionals in the GTA, with the activation specifically designed to “capitalize on media moments when people need energy, when they need to focus, or relax, so we leaned into the brand’s mood modulation brand proposition.”

Wavemaker also supported the activation with on-location remotes during the launch week along with DOOH in Union Station. The agency’s supporting media campaign runs until the end of the year across radio, social, OLV (online video), paid search and DOOH. 

“We’ll be activating with a dayparting and messaging strategy that speaks to all three moods and brands designed to drive engagement with our target audience by understanding their challenges and meeting them at relevant moments when they need Ryde the most,” Cardoso explains.

The Ryde brand recently launched in Australia (July 2023), and this Ontario (GTA-focused for now) launch will be followed with a national expansion plan.