AdMiration feature: Truly Hard Seltzer’s “Drink Like a Believer: Drop”

With the Fourth of July around the corner, American pride is in the air. And Truly Hard Seltzer’s “Drop”, tied to its sponsorship of US Soccer, shows how much you can do with just ten seconds.

Read on to get our 3-2-1 snapshot of the ad (3 facts, 2 learnings and 1 reflection) and learn how their ad was received based on our data.

The ad opens on a man in a US Soccer training jacket sitting at a patio table outdoors finishing the last of his Truly Hard Seltzer. An upbeat song plays over the scene, with its lyrics narrating the action.

Out of nowhere, a bald eagle swoops in, flying low over the table with a Truly Berry pack in its talons. The man looks up in surprise as the eagle approaches, then lands confidently on the table and sets the pack down right in front of him. 

The ad closes on the product: a can of Truly, two Truly Berry packs and the bald eagle standing behind them, alongside the US Soccer crest and the line “Official Hard Seltzer of US Soccer.” The soundtrack resolves on its final lyric — “...and make your dreams come true…ly.”

3 facts

• This is a strong ad from Truly that lands in the top 15% of US ads for its ability to drive short-term sales and in the top 25% for building brand equity over the long term (Sales Impact: 85, Brand Impact: 77). 

• The ad is funny, with the unexpected bald eagle driving laughter well above the norm (Laughter: 12% vs. 7% norm). The laughter peaks right as the eagle arrives with the pack — so the ad’s emotional high point is also its product moment.

• That mix of attention and humor converts: the ad is effective at moving people to choose Truly, resulting in a strong purchase uplift (Purchase Uplift: 34% vs. 22% norm).

2 learnings

• A complete story can fit in 10 seconds. Brevity is usually treated as a constraint — less time to build, less room to land a message. But “Drop” sets a scene, delivers a surprise, pays it off with a laugh and closes on the product, running a full emotional journey most ads stretch across at least 30 seconds. Nothing is rushed and nothing is missing, because every second is pulling toward the same single idea — when you want a Truly, it finds its way to you. As one viewer describes it: “It was very simple and straight to the point and I like that! I don't enjoy when ads are too long or don't get to the point quick enough.”

• A single creative device can pull its weight in more than one way. As a patriotic symbol, the eagle taps into the wave of national pride around the tournament — and paired with the US Soccer crest and training top, it ties Truly to the moment. Because it’s carrying the product into frame, it cues the brand at the same time. We can see it when people explain what made them think this was a Truly ad: “when the American eagle flew down and gave them a pack of it I realized this is Truly hard seltzer.” The eagle and the product are fused in a single action and that’s what makes the ad so efficient. 

1 reflection

When activating during a key moment, are you tying it to what your brand stands for? 

The World Cup on home soil is a wave of national pride as much as it is a sporting event. What “Drop” does so neatly is tie Truly to that feeling without forcing it. The bald eagle, the US Soccer logo and the red-white-and-blue framing connect the brand to the pride that’s already in the air, and viewers feel the link: “Celebrates American pride” comes through as a brand association for 4 in 10 viewers, and they describe the ad back in their own words as “a USA vibe” that honors “the American way.”

The reason it lands is that Truly has earned its place by being the Official Hard Seltzer of US Soccer since 2022, and has spent the tournament showing up for fans — even renaming a town “Believe, USA.” People can feel the connection is real which is why it resonates.

Ask yourself: when a cultural moment lines up with your brand, can you tie the two together in a way that feels earned? Consumers can tell the difference. Truly doesn't hold any official FIFA World Cup rights — but through its US Soccer partnership and the way it shows up for fans, it earns a place in the moment that official rights alone can’t really buy.

“Drop” is part of Truly Hard Seltzer’s “Drink Like a Believer” campaign, the brand’s biggest activation around the FIFA World Cup 2026 and, in its own words, “the moment we've been building toward” as the Official Hard Seltzer of US Soccer.

The ad spotlights Truly’s Berry pack, part of a core range the brand positions around keeping things light — lightly flavored, lower in calories and built for easy, social drinking. Matt Withington, Truly’s senior director of marketing, frames the brand as one made to bring people together “whether you're watching games at home with friends, raising a can after a big goal, or chanting for the USMNT with fellow fans at the bar.”

The wider campaign runs across streaming, out-of-home, retail and bar programming, alongside a US Soccer Star Squad variety pack and a series of collectible city cans. Its centerpiece is a nationwide search to rename a real American town “Believe, USA” for the duration of the tournament — won by Hoboken, New Jersey, where the brand opened a “Truly Believe Bar” as a clubhouse for fans.

This is a strong ad from Truly. “Drop” lands in the top 15% of US ads for its ability to drive short-term sales and in the top 25% for building brand equity over the long term (Sales Impact: 85; Brand Impact: 77).

The ad strikes a particular chord with men, where both climb even higher (Sales Impact: 90; Brand Impact: 81).

The ad also stands out in a crowded category (Ad Distinctiveness: 4.1 vs. 3.7 norm, Claimed Attention: 4.3 vs. 3.9 norm), and that distinctiveness carries through to the brand itself (Brand Distinctiveness: 4.1 vs. 3.7 norm). That’s no small feat for a short spot competing in the same break as cinematic, celebrity-filled World Cup ads.

A lot of what makes it stand out comes down to the eagle. When we look at what’s cuing the brand, viewers name the logo first and the bald eagle second. The eagle scores so highly because it’s inseparable from the product as the thing carrying the Truly pack into frame. As respondents described it:

• “The brand appeared as the eagle was flying.”

• “The guy holding the Truly can and the eagle flying in with the box of Truly.”

• “It was an eagle wearing American merch because the Truly brand is the official sponsor of US soccer so it had to be Truly.”

People really enjoyed watching the ad and found it very funny (Enjoyment: 4.2 vs 3.9 norm; Laughter: 12% vs 7% norm). Love runs through most of it, giving the ad a warm baseline — but the eagle is where the humor comes to life. Viewers are caught by surprise the moment the eagle swoops into frame, and as it lands on the table with the Berry Pack that surprise gives way to laughter. 

The surprise grabs attention while the laughter makes it land. And because both arrive with the Berry pack, the ad’s emotional high point doubles as its product moment.

The verbatims echo this:

• “I like the humor and the way they represent it, I especially liked how they portrayed the whole thing as a USA vibe and the eagle bringing the drink is just hilarious."

• “I liked the humor and the unexpected interaction with the bald eagle, which made the brand feel fun, memorable and effectively highlighted the US Soccer partnership.”

There’s a patriotic thread running through all of it: the bald eagle, the US Soccer crest and the red-white-and-blue framing are enough for viewers to connect the dots themselves: 

• “I like the way they honored the American way with a bald eagle, delivering the Truly.”

• “I like that Truly has American pride and uses it. To know that Truly sponsors the World Cup soccer that’s inspiring.”

That feeling carries through to how viewers see the brand as a whole. “Celebrates American pride” comes through for 38% of viewers, landing right alongside “for people like me” (38%) and “suitable for any occasion” (37%), and just behind “great for socializing” (41%).

For a brand built on keeping it light, that’s a balance worth noting — celebratory and national without losing the easy, social tone.

The soundtrack works just as hard (Musical Appeal: 4.1 vs 3.8 norm). With barely any dialogue and only ten seconds to play with, the song narrates the action, sets the comic tone and carries the ad’s core message that when you want a Truly, it finds its way to you (Key Message Clarity: 4.3 vs 4.2 norm). All of that before it resolves before a playful spin on the brand’s name. 

And because the lyric is built around Truly itself, the music is a branding device itself as music lodges in memory in a way visuals often don’t.

Overall, the ad is effective at moving people to choose Truly, resulting in a strong purchase uplift (Purchase Uplift: 34% vs. 22% norm) — not bad for ten seconds of screen time!

What an impressive result — in just 10 seconds, the ad gets noticed, makes people laugh, plants the brand, makes the US Soccer connection and moves them to buy! 

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