For most brands, the hardest part of a content program isn’t the launch—it’s the quality of content that comes back. Wet Hydration’s experience with H\FC was different. By trusting student creators to do what they do best, the team received content they were excited to promote.

Creative freedom, not creative control

Wet Hydration wanted to grow awareness among college students and increase visibility in retail stores nationwide. Instead of tightly scripting every deliverable, they encouraged creators to naturally incorporate the brand into their routines—whether that meant morning workouts, study sessions, store runs, or “come with me” vlogs.

That trust allowed creators to produce content that felt native to their audiences—not like branded advertisements.

“We made sure people had creative freedom because they know what they like to see.” — Larson Altschul, Head of Partnerships at Wet Hydration

Across six retail-focused GIGs, 18 student creators produced high-quality content showcasing Wet Hydration in retail environments.

One creator’s video alone generated more than 57K views, demonstrating how authentic student content can drive meaningful reach while highlighting the brand where it matters most: in-store.

Content built for real audiences

One of the biggest indicators of success was how little editing the content required. Creators delivered videos that felt authentic, on-trend, and native to the platforms they were posting on.

“We didn’t really make many edits. We wanted creators to be creative.” — Larson Altschul

The content worked because it featured:

Real routines and authentic product moments
A voice that felt native to Gen Z
Deliverables that were ready to publish with minimal revisions

More than social content

The value extended beyond social media. Wet Hydration also used the creator content in conversations with retail partners, showing real shoppers discovering and engaging with the brand in stores.

“For retailers, it was massive to be able to show them that people were going into stores and engaging with the brand.” — Larson Altschul

The program gave the team a library of authentic content that supported both consumer marketing and retailer conversations.

A repeatable model

For Wet Hydration, the partnership worked because it combined talented student creators with the flexibility to build programs around evolving brand priorities.

“The platform is super customizable. Whether we want to focus on electrolytes, protein water, or prebiotic water, we can build programs around exactly what we need.” — Larson Altschul

By giving creators the freedom to tell authentic stories while providing the structure brands need, Wet Hydration built a repeatable content model—one that delivers ready-to-use assets for social channels, retailer conversations, and future campaigns.

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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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