Welch's sells sparkling juice with a five-episode holiday microdrama on Instagram and TikTok
Before the Toast runs Nov 17 to Dec 8 with a recurring cast of 2000s TV actors. Welch's has not named the studio, the budget or any AI use, so it shows what brands ask for, not results.
Welch's has a holiday drama coming, and its sparkling juice is in every scene. "Before the Toast" is a five-episode series for the brand's Instagram and TikTok, starring Christy Carlson Romano, Sabrina Bryan, Heather Morris and Romano's husband, Brendan Rooney.
Episodes run from Nov 17 to Dec 8, each pinned to a holiday moment: Thanksgiving, a talent show, backyard games, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. The series sits at the center of a wider "That's Worth a Toast" campaign that also buys creator partnerships, paid media, ads next to holiday movies on Disney+ and Hulu, and free bottles through Instacart.
For anyone pitching brands, the interesting part is the shape of the order. Welch's asked for recurring characters, one setup and a dated release for every episode, which is a season rather than a single ad. Brands are buying that shape at very different sizes, from Dr Pepper's four episodes in May to a 50-part series P&G made for Native.
Nothing here involves AI. Welch's cast familiar faces from 2000s TV, and it has not named the studio behind the series, the budget or any result.
Our take: the opening for AI studios is the brief itself. Recurring characters, dated episodes and one product in every scene can be pitched as a season, not a demo.
Source: Welch's press release, Nov 9, 2026; Marketing Dive, Nov 12, 2026.
