The archive · Advertising · Marketing decision · 2009–2011
Evian's 'Roller Babies' — dancing CGI babies, the most-viewed brand video of its era
BETC Euro RSCG turns Evian's baby heritage into a global 'Live Young' film — roller-skating CGI babies, 75M+ views and a Guinness record.
Evian (Danone) · BETC Euro RSCG
What it had to solve
In France Evian was known as 'the babies' water' — its 1998 'Waterbabies' ad was voted the country's favourite commercial of the past 40 years in a 2008 survey. In 2009 the brand chose a single global communication around youth, and BETC's Mercedes Erra spent almost a year convincing Evian that roller-skating CGI babies were the way to deliver it.
How it works
Evian's baby heritage was real and measurable: in France the brand was 'the babies' water', and its 1998 'Waterbabies' underwater ballet was voted the country's favourite TV ad of the previous 40 years in a 2008 survey. The question in 2009 was how to take that French heritage global.
Mercedes Erra, founder of BETC Euro RSCG, spent almost a year persuading Evian that the answer was CGI babies roller-skating through a park to 'Rapper's Delight' — youth as the literal physical effect of the water. The agency produced the film and the brand released it on YouTube in July 2009.
'Roller Babies' spread faster than any brand film before it: more than 75 million online views and almost 2.2 million shares, a Guinness World Record as the most-viewed online ad, and recognition as the world's most-viewed brand video.
The idea became a platform: 'Baby Inside' (2011) had 50,000 people create the world's longest music video at over 11 hours, and 'Baby & Me' (2013) passed 30 million views within days. Evian's babies went from a French memory to a global brand asset.
Why it lands
- The babies were already the brand's meaning, so the spectacle reinforced positioning instead of replacing it.
- The upbeat track made it shareable entertainment rather than a product pitch.
- Cute crossed languages and cultures, so one film could work globally.
- YouTube-first distribution let the record-breaking spread happen and be measured publicly.
- It converted a heritage asset into a repeatable campaign platform.
What it did
The film became the world's most-viewed brand video — more than 75 million online views and almost 2.2 million shares — earning a Guinness World Record as the most-viewed online ad ever, and relaunching Evian's 'Live Young' platform globally.
What you can take
A brand's oldest asset can be its most viral idea: the baby was already Evian's meaning, so the cute spectacle reinforced the positioning instead of just borrowing attention.
Since then
Evian built a decade of work on the babies: 'Baby Inside' (2011) produced the world's longest music video with 50,000 contributors, and 'Baby & Me' (2013) reached 30 million views in a few days, with BETC's Rémi Babinet crediting the baby as central to the brand's 'Live Young' DNA. 'Roller Babies' itself kept Guinness records as the most-viewed online ad and remains a standard reference for viral brand film.
Sources
- The brains behind the most viral ad ever
- Evian unleashes a brigade of rollerbabies
- Your Shot: evian 'Baby&Me'
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