Ahead of the upcoming March Madness tournament, POWERADE announced its latest national marketing campaign titled, “MARCH DOESN’T START IN MARCH.” Building upon the brand’s existing foundation in college sports, the campaign features POWERADE’s recently announced star athlete partners, Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers guard Flau’Jae Johnson and University of Southern California (USC) Trojans guard Isaiah Collier, as they set their sights on the biggest stage in college basketball.
Together with Flau’Jae and Isaiah, POWERADE’s new “MARCH DOESN’T START IN MARCH” campaign spotlights the months of preparation, sacrifice, and after-hours dedication that college athletes everywhere put in to reach the Big Dance.
“Not everyone sees the work and long-hours that we put in every day, whether we’re in-season at school or training back home,” said LSU sophomore guard Flau’Jae Johnson. “I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this new campaign with POWERADE and work to inspire the next generation of athletes to put in that extra effort to reach their full potential.”
As the Official Hydration Partner of March Madness, POWERADE will be on-and-off the sidelines, providing athletes with MORE electrolytes to power their drive to perform their best when it matters most. The full 30 sec spot can be viewed here: youtu.be/xFKoSPQgxXw.
“Growing up, I’ve always felt that the most important workouts are the ones you do away from the spotlight when no one’s watching,” said USC Trojans basketball star Isaiah Collier. “Just like you’ll see in this new spot, POWERADE fuels me every step of the way as I’m grinding to get better and improve my game.”
“MARCH DOESN’T START IN MARCH” is the first POWERADE March Madness® campaign to feature NIL athletes, with activation across national television, digital creative, out-of-home, social media, and retail extensions lasting throughout the tournament. The spot will debut on national TV on Sunday, March 17th on CBS during the NCAA Selection Show.
To amplify the launch, POWERADE is also teaming up with more than 40 additional NIL athletes from colleges and universities across the country to create supporting digital and social media content.
“POWERADE has such a deep history in college sports, so it was a no-brainer to team up with two of the best college basketball players in the game today and work to build off the great momentum the brand saw in 2023,” said Tom Gargiulo, BODYARMOR Sports Nutrition CMO.“Both Flau’Jae and Isaiah embody the same hard-working, never-quit attitude as POWERADE, so we’re thrilled to see this new campaign come to life and showcase to athletes and consumers everywhere that POWERADE offers more than the competition.”
The launch of this campaign continues the strong momentum POWERADE has seen since rebranding in 2023 – including five consecutive weeks of category share growth since the start of this year– and furthers POWERADE’s investment into college sports. Late last year, POWERADE partnered with several top college football players including 2024 Draft Prospects, Jayden Daniels and Jared Verse.
Currently the #3 sports drink across the United States, POWERADE announced an all-new formula, as well as new-look packaging at retail last year – re-energizing the brand and driving sales and growth for the first time in years by generating buzz with new and old consumers alike. POWERADE is available in-stores nationwide and online, including recently announced new flavors Island Burst and Strawberry Smash Zero.
For More Information:
https://www.powerade.com/