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7 Up Bubbly Enough to Cheer Crabbiest Grouches

7 Up, in its first ad push in more than 3 years, will air ads featuring Everybody Loves Raymond star Brad Garrett, touting the fact that the soft drink is “ridiculously bubbly.”

7 Up says it delivers a “positive, refreshing lift with every sip - even the most ‘non-bubbly’ people can’t help but be bubblier after drinking it.”

Known for his portrayals of some of the crabbiest characters on screen, Brad Garrett is the first to experience a total transformation in 7Up’s new “Ridiculously Bubbly” advertising campaign.

“Our consumers told us that only 7 Up gives them a crisp, clean, bubbly and uplifting feeling. With this campaign, we wanted to showcase that refreshing instant lift that comes with every first taste of 7 Up while recapturing the fun associated with the brand,” said Dave Falk, director of marketing for 7Up. “By choosing the most un-bubbly of people, we’ve put 7 Up to its toughest test.”

The brand will launch a pomegranate line extension later this year, and a package redesign in 2010, according to Brandweek.

Among the challenges 7 Up faces is the fact that carbonated soft drink sales are in decline, the lemon-lime category is in decline, and 7 Up’s volume fell 8.1% in 2008. The brand spent $21 million on media in 2008, not including online advertising. Falk says that the brands that advertise during economic lulls are those that emerge a lot stronger.

Gary Hemphill, managing director of Beverage Marketing Corp., says there are signs that the beverage category may be coming out of its slump.

PepsiCo ousted 7 Up in 2003, replacing it with Sierra Mist. 7 Up is now distributed through independent bottlers. 7 Up also competes against Sprite, which Coca-Cola has continued to aggressively market.