The last week of April saw Bodyarmor launch a reported $25m summer marketing burst as it further boosts sports drink category competition by launching its biggest ad campaign ever with creative fronted by a team of eight elite athlete ambassador/owners.
Called ‘One More’ and crafted in-house, the integrated campaign seeks to further drive awareness and sales and it launched at the 2021 NFL Draft and features a mix of amateur and professional athletes putting in the work to perfect their craft away from the spotlight.
The $25m campaign spans TV, radio, out-of-home, digital, social and point-of-sale and features The ad features an all-star team of eight athlete partners and investors in James Harden, Naomi Osaka, Mookie Betts, Sabrina Ionescu, Baker Mayfield, Trae Young, Christian McCaffrey and Carlos Vela.
The campaign was led by a hero commercial, which debuted during the Draft telecast and was posted on the brand’s social platforms on 29 April and includes the tagline: ‘more than a sports drink.’
Indeed, the campaign’s core idea is that no matter what level of sport you play, Bodyarmor is more than a sports drink but rather a hydration solution for anyone who always go for one more.
The lead spot also comes in a Spanish language version and, like so much of the brand’s advertising, was supported socially by its athlete ambassadors on their own personal channels.
¡Uno más! Orgulloso de ser hidratado por @DrinkBODYARMOR #OneMore pic.twitter.com/7Mjifi30Gu
— carlos vela (@11carlosV) April 29, 2021
That #OneMore mentality! Still keeping the same energy since day 1. Hydrated by @DrinkBODYARMOR #TeamBODYARMOR pic.twitter.com/Ee4RvyrwAI
— Baker Mayfield (@bakermayfield) April 29, 2021
The drive to get better never stops! Working EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Hydrated by @DrinkBODYARMOR #OneMore pic.twitter.com/fshqXATqHa
— Mookie Betts (@mookiebetts) April 29, 2021
“It focuses on the hard work, the drive, the passion and the determination that really goes into being ultra-successful, whether it is in sport or in life,” said Bodyarmor founder and chief executive Mike Repole.
Bodyarmor Marketing VP Michael Fedele added: “Anybody can go out and sign an athlete,” having spokespeople double as shareholders means they believe in the company and will go out of their way to help it succeed. Those are the kind of partners you want.”
“It’s great to be a part of two growing brands [Bodyarmor and Bodyarmor Edge] that are soon to be at the top,” commented endorser and Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young. “The brand overall, it really represents me. Just looking at the people that they’ve signed and partnered with already – it’s exciting and it’s really just a big family for me.”
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Founded around 10 years ago, BodyArmor (which is made with coconut water, natural flavors and no artificial colouring) has climbed fast towards the top of the sports drink category boosted by sports star backers such as Kobe Bryant and sponsorships with the likes of the UFC and Major League Soccer.
Bodyarmor, which has overtaken Coke’s Powerade to become the category’s number two brand, has always looked for sport, marquee athlete ambassador/investors and innovation to spur growth. For example, it launched an Edge subrand earlier in 2021 and also includes the low-calorie, no sugar Bodyarmor Lyte launched in late 2020 with ‘Only You‘ and also promoted in January 2021 with a ‘More To The Day‘ campaign now in its range.
Other notable recent Bodyarmor campaign’s include 2019’s Megan Rapinoe fronted ‘Now That’s America‘ and its 2019 March Madness linked work, plus its ‘Obsession‘ work leveraging the 2017 NBA Playoffs.
Bodyarmor’s takeover by Coca-Cola remains in the balance with the Atlanta-based drinks behemoth, already a minority shareholder, having until the end of 2021 to decide whether it will complete its agreed purchase.
But Bodyarmor doesn’t appear to be waiting around as this summer campaign seeks to further build its sales and market share.
It not only faces leader Gatorade and Coke’s rival Powerade (with a 15% share), but also faces new brands moving in to the space such as GOAT Fuel (backed by NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice) and Biosteel (which has signed up athlete partners including NFL star Pat Mahomes and Brooklyn Nets coach Steve Nash).
With competition in the sports drink category becoming increasingly fierce, growing at 10% per annum, so after 56 years PepsiCo’s market-leading Gatorade (which still has 70% share) is reacting to having a formidable rival in billion dollar brand Bodyarmor (12% share) and other new entrants and has responded with Bolt 24 (which includes caffeine) and Gatorade Zero and has also brought back former sports pitchman extraordinaire Michael Jordan to front its marketing and turned to former Nike marketer Kalen Thornton to be its new chief marketer.
If the deal goes ahead, Bodyarmor’s investor athletes will win big too.
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