Sports drink Powerade launched an integrated, international campaign in early March celebrating ‘The Power Of The Pause’ and prioritising wellbeing over winning.
The Coca-Cola Company brand’s new ‘Pause is Power’ global communications platform seeks to challenge the ‘win at all costs’ mentality so often associated with contemporary sports culture by portraying ‘pauses’ – moments of laughter, reflection, community and recovery – as acts of everyday humanity with regenerative benefits and sees the brand support athletes having a chance to recharge during the off season.
‘Pause is Power’ seeks to bring to life the hydration brand’s aspiration to ‘power life beyond winning by championing opportunities for all people to take a necessary pause’.
The creative is fronted by a strong team of Powerade athlete ambassadors and coaches spanning multiple sports – including US gymnastics super star Simone Biles, Tottenham Hotspur FC manager Antonio Conte, NBA stars Chris Webber and Jason Williams and UK diving gold medalist Tom Daley – and was spearheaded by a TV commercial which rolled out from 13 March.
Debuting on-air in the USA during the March Madness ‘Selection Sunday’ telecast – part of the drink’s brand’s NCAA partnership – the hero ‘Pause Is Power’ film was created in harness with agency Publicis Groupe and was deployed in 90-, 60- and 30-second versions.
As well as the global launch assets, regional markets will roll out local creative which will span digital, social and out-of-home platforms in the coming weeks.
Along with Shopper and Consumer Content, over the last 12 months the Powerade brand team carried out research and gathered insights from passionate young people involved in sports, athletics and exercise from elite to grassroots from the United States, Mexico, South Africa, Germany and Australia and their perspectives helped shape the global campaign strategy and inform community-level activations.
“Simone was our primary inspiration for this creative concept, along with Gen Z consumers who are motivating us to talk about sports in a different way,” said Shopper and Consumer Content Global Senior Manager Laura Legrenzi. “They’re taking a more conscious approach to competing and winning—they want to be great, but also have a life—and are not willing to sacrifice their happiness and wellbeing.”
The Publicis Group agencies which worked on the project included Publicis Italy, Publicis Mexico, Leo Burnett Chicago and Digitas NY.
“Competition comes with great pressure and intensity, and it’s important to remind people of the power that can be found in the simple act of a pause, allowing us to come back better and stronger,” said Powerade Global Brand Director Claire Pinel.
Coca-Cola Global Creative Strategy Director for Hydration, Sports, Tea and Coffee Islam ElDessouky added: “Instead of focusing solely on physical performance anchored in sport, we’re celebrating the importance of mindset – the combination of body and mind – and bringing the culturally relevant ‘Pause is Power’ message not just to athletes, but to all who embrace a sports-infused lifestyle, by using what we call humour with substance.”
Publciis Worldwide Global Chief Creative Officer Bruno Bertelli commented: “The campaign highlights some of the world’s most inspiring ambassadors for the importance of mental health. The sports industry is well-known for the pressure put on its athletes and players, pressure that impacts not only results, but the mental strength of individuals too. “Pause is Power” is a campaign that celebrates pausing to refuel, rethink and recharge as a sign of power, not a weakness. Our aim is to raise awareness to all humans, not just professional athletes, that pausing is not losing, it’s actually winning.”
“I’ve come to recognise the power of the pause and the Powerade brand’s campaign is a timely reminder to take a moment when we need it—whether for a deep breath, a timeout or even a season out,” added athlete ambassador Simone Biles. “We push ourselves hard physically and emotionally to achieve our dreams but if we are not our best mentally, then we are not maximising our full potential. I want to help encourage everybody to be kinder to themselves, because that’s when we’re at our strongest and we can achieve the most.”
Comment
This global campaign and its creative marks something of a shift in Powerade’s brand point of view and target audience.
This campaign celebrates pausing to refuel, rethink and recharge as a sign of power, not of a weakness and it is part of a wider sports and sponsorship trend which aims to focus on the mental wellness benefits of sport rather than on winning.
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