Natural energy shot brand Proper Wild has landed digital media conglomerate Barstool Sports as its marketing partner.
Launched in 2020, the New York-based brand has set its sights on disrupting the $900-million-plus energy shot market by offering a clean ingredient, better-tasting alternative to category leader 5-Hour Energy. By linking with Barstool and its “cult-like” fan community, Proper Wild CEO Vincent Bradley said his brand is seeking to create “magic moments” of marketing synergy with media personalities and generate momentum ahead of launching with national retailers in the near future.
Using the tagline “clean all day energy,” Proper Wild’s shelf-stable 3-SKU line — available in Ginger, Blackberry and Peach Mango — is made with juice and no artificial colors or flavors. Each 2.5 oz. shot has 180 mg caffeine from organic green tea and L-theanine for “focus and productivity,” coming in at 45 calories and 9 grams of sugar (zero added sugars) with an MSRP of $2.40 to $3.99.
After launching online and in over 12,000 stores across Florida and New York City in 2020, Bradley said he and his co-founders spent the following year reworking every aspect of the product from the formulation to package design; after multiple iterations, Proper Wild’s current version was finalized in spring. Backed by an encouraging 50% repurchase rate and a reinforced sales team, the brand felt ready to scale.
Since launching in Boston as a free print publication in the early 2000s, Barstool Sports has evolved into a digital media powerhouse, boasting over 171 million social followers and billions of monthly views across its range of properties, which span over 17 verticals and almost 100 shows. The company has leveraged that reach to engage CPG brands in marketing opportunities and cross-promotional activations; within beverage, Barstool has previously partnered with hydration brand Revitalyte and Owen’s Craft Mixers on LTO flavors, along with High Noon Hard Seltzer.
Through an existing relationship that Proper Wild co-founder had with Barstool executives, the two New York-based companies started talking about a potential ad spend, which quickly evolved into discussion about a bigger strategic advertising partnership.
After sharing product with Barstool’s personalities and getting a strong response, Proper Wild formalized the deal which will see the partnership span over nine of Barsool’s media properties, including The Dozen, Out & About, Chicks in the Office, Bussin with the Boys and The Dave Portnoy Show, among others.
“It was very much let’s see who’s interested and who is a good fit, and that was something I also really liked,” Bradley said. “It wasn’t like, well, this podcast over here needs more ad spend. I got to go meet the talent and I saw who was leaning in, who really liked the product.”
That type of authentic media engagement, Bradley said, gives Proper Wild an opportunity to go beyond simply building awareness and name-recognition. The partnership includes more traditional marketing in the form of pre-show ad reads and product placement in videos, but also things like product sampling with audience members during a recording of trivia show The Dozen. The goal is to cultivate “magic moments” that can go viral on their own strength, like getting buy-in (and social media shoutouts) from Barstool’s influential personalities.
“What we’re really excited about is getting the talent, if they authentically like it, talking about it and just sharing with their community of followers,” Bradley said. “All of these creators inside of Barstool are influencers in their own right, they just cohabitate under this ecosystem. So it’s essentially we’re doing deals with like 20 influencers that all cohabitate and cross pollinate.”
Bradley declined to specify if Barstool Sports has taken an equity stake in Proper Wild as part of the deal; “If successful, the partnership has significant upside for both parties,” he said.
For a still growing online brand looking for a sustainable path into brick-and-mortar stores, Barstool’s backing has been critical in building trust with retail buyers. Bradley called the partnership “the biggest thing that we’ve done to move the needle,” adding that Proper Wild has secured verbal commitments from “several large national retailers” to rollout in Q4 and early 2023. The coming months will also see the launch of three new flavors, to be followed by another three early next year.
That move will put Proper Wild in more direct competition with 5-Hour Energy, though Bradley dismissed the comparison, noting that his product is differently positioned thanks to its clean ingredient list, premium price and appeal toward health conscious consumers. The brand has built a multimillion dollar online subscription business by targeting those consumers, he added, meaning it can methodically build in offline retail without added pressure.
“As a startup, we’re very flexible and looking to innovate,” he said “Barstool is obviously not a startup anymore, but they have such a passion to try new things and see what sticks and see what doesn’t stick. And I mentioned ‘magic moment’ — that’s what I’m most excited about, to see where this partnership goes.”