The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2024–2025
Mountain Dew voiced every sound effect in radio ads with the word DEW
BBDO Guerrero rebuilt radio ads as game audio — gunfire, footsteps, heartbeats — all voiced as 'DEW', making gamers hear the brand at every beat.
Mountain Dew Philippines · BBDO Guerrero
the move
Mountain Dew's Philippines marketing wanted to own the position of the nation's Game Fuel, but gamers had long learned to tune out radio advertising. The brand's own nickname among players was simply 'Dew', a word already threaded through gaming slang.
BBDO Guerrero built radio spots entirely out of that single word. 'Dew Battle' recreates a first-person shooter — enemy fire, helicopters, explosives — and 'Dew Fighter' stages a fighting game, with every sound effect performed by voice actors saying 'DEW'. The production treated the voice as an instrument, so the ad sounds like a game session rather than a pitch.
The campaign ran across Philippines radio and digital audio, where the repetition of the brand name inside authentic game audio made the connection unmistakable. Listeners did not have to be told that Mountain Dew belonged to gaming; they heard it in every effect.
Juries responded as a second audience: the work was shortlisted and won at both Cannes Lions and D&AD, giving the brand a rare audio trophy and a memorable platform it could extend across formats.
why it works
- The word 'DEW' is already the nickname gamers use, so the ads felt native to the audience instead of imposed.
- Building every effect from one word makes the brand impossible to miss without a single spoken sales line.
- Gaming soundscapes are instantly recognizable, so the format itself proves the Game Fuel claim.
- Audio-only execution was cheap to produce and scaled across radio and streaming.
what transfers
When a product has a nickname inside its audience, build the whole message from that word — the medium itself becomes the proof.
what came after
The campaign won a Bronze Lion in Audio & Radio at Cannes 2024 plus a shortlist, and 'Play The Dew: Battle' took a Graphite Pencil at the 2025 D&AD Awards while 'Fighter' was shortlisted — anchoring Mountain Dew's positioning as the Philippines' official Game Fuel.
references
- BBDO Guerrero wins Bronze Lion at Cannes for Mountain Dew Philippines' 'Play The Dew: Dew Battle'
- Mountain Dew Philippines & BBDO Guerrero Win Bronze Lion for 'Play the Dew' Campaign
- BBDO Guerrero scores a double hit with 'Play The Dew' in 2025 D&AD Awards' Radio & Audio category
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