Romance, refreshment, + ridiculousness.

Smoothie King was launching its boldest summer flavor yet, the X-Treme Watermelon Smoothie, but with no extra media budget and only a limited time window to make it stand out. Romance novels were dominating beach bags, accounting for one in four books sold in the U.S. during the summer. The challenge was generating cultural buzz around a seasonal smoothie drop with zero paid media in a category saturated with content.

BarkleyOKRP did what no other brand had dared: used ChatGPT to co-write a full-length, 228-page romance novel. The plot was a steamy love triangle between a man, a woman, and the X-Treme Watermelon Smoothie. Available as an eBook and print-on-demand on Amazon, the novel included custom flavor Easter eggs and surprise promo links woven throughout the story, turning a product launch into the steamiest thirst trap of the summer.