Liquid I.V. Turns Up Heat with Sauna Showdown Starring Jill Scott and Em Wallbank

Hydration brand Liquid I.V. has broken new ground on social with ‘The Hot Seat’, a bold new content series filmed inside a custom-built sauna that’s been designed from the ground up for TikTok and Instagram Reels. Equal parts comedy, challenge and hydration chat, the show is primed to light up your For You feed (and make you sweat).

Developed and produced by VaynerMedia, the series is hosted by Em Wallbank. The debut episode welcomes former England Lionesses captain, Jill Scott, followed by appearances from rapper and creator, Big Zuu and former Love Island star, Chloe Burrows.

Shot vertically in 9x16, The Hot Seat mixes “real sweat” with “hot takes,” tackling wellness habits, lifestyle hacks and hydration tips while guests take on playful challenges alongside the host. It continues a dedicated move from the brand to position itself differently within the category in the UK, using a summer of activations across sports, music and entertainment to take electrolytes mainstream and make them approachable and easy to understand for consumers.

Olivia Otesanya, health and wellness marketing lead Europe at Unilever, said, “We want The Hot Seat to drive awareness and engagement through brilliant content. In just 18 months since launching in the UK, we’ve become the leading brand in the category and moved electrolyte content from a barrage of stats to something entertaining. Which other brand in this space could have brought together a Euros football champion, a rapper and chef, and a Love Island contestant? We really made the most of the social format by creating a high volume of assets and layering organic with paid. We can then listen carefully to what consumers like and want more of, and “find right” for our brand. That approach is something we loved about VaynerMedia’s thinking and we’re delighted to have partnered with them on this campaign.”

Gaetan Uytterhaegen, creative director at VaynerMedia, added, “Our team leveraged great influencer and creator relationships to bring a fantastic cast together for season 1 and we’re so happy to have brought The Hot Seat from the drawing board to real life. Liquid IV is meeting consumers where they really are and in a platform-native way. Understanding platforms, their algorithms and culture in this way is the key to modern brand building.”

Check out the first episode of The Hot Seat here.