NBA megastar LeBron James tipped off his new highly publicised partnership with PepsiCo on 13 May by fronting a new campaign for Mountain Dew Energy Rise called ‘Morning Makes You’.
The comic energy drink campaign poses the question who, or what, James would be if he had chosen to take it easy in the mornings and features the supreme athlete, successful businessmen and power influencer living the life of a snoozing slacker with salsa dancing and riding mower sequences.
The spot, which was conceived and created by agency TBWA\Chiat\Day NY, positions the new Mountain Dew Rise Energy drink as a morning jump-start and the ‘Morning Makes You’ tagline runs after the ad shifts from scenes of the Lakers’ star’s alternate slacker lifestyle to his real-life pursuits of playing elite basketball, running businesses and engaging in philanthropy.
The spot, which was helmed by Director F Gary Gray, will run nationally on TV and digital across the USA.
The campaign was initially teased with 10-second social cut-down clips on Mountain Dew Rise’s social channels 48 hours ahead of its official full launch.
The hero spot itself features footage from the HBO show ‘The Shop: Uninterrupted’ produced by James’ own SpringHill Company and also an image of James’ hometown and Promise School in Akron (Ohio).
The seeds of the creative were sown back in March, when James first penned his new PepsiCo partnership, the first pieces of his endorser Rise content included and anthem spot and a graphics-led clip in which the brand’s lion logo morphs into an image of LeBron.
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The campaign sees PepsiCo sub-brand Mountain Dew seek to differentiate Rise in the increasingly competitive energy drink category by pitching it as a morning beverage. The drink contains 180 mg of caffeine, vitamins A and C, as well as fruit juice and Citicoline (a dietary supplement which may improve brain function).
“Energy management remains a priority for consumers, and we’re excited to be working with LeBron to show how Mtn Dew Rise Energy can be that morning energy to help you seize the day,” said Fabiola Torres, chief marketing officer and senior VP of PepsiCo’s energy category.
The basketball superstar, arguably the biggest and most influential sports star in the USA, left Coca-Cola earlier this year to switch to a new partnership with arch rival Pepsi.
James had been tied-up with Coca-Cola Co since 2003, when he was just 18-years-old, and has featured largely as the face of Sprite in multiple ads from Wieden+Kennedy.
Pepsi lured him to be the face of Mountain Dew Rise Energy drink as part of an umbrella endorsement deal which will include several other brands across PepsiCo’s food and beverage range and support for a series of social justice endeavours.
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