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Selection Sunday for March Madness isn\u2019t for another couple of days, but some brands just couldn\u2019t wait any longer to kick off their campaigns.<\/p>\n
Powerade, the official hydration partner of March Madness and official sports drink of the NCAA, rolled out its campaign in February. The central ad follows a fictional basketball player as opposed to a real college star, but Powerade also teamed up with a handful of current players to help amplify its message as it looks to compete with Gatorade.<\/p>\n
Last year, Powerade partnered with Simone Biles for an Olympics campaign focused on mental health, and so far this year, has set its sights on soccer, becoming the official sports drink of MLS and US Soccer. Now, it\u2019s turning to the men\u2019s and women\u2019s NCAA tournaments in an effort to connect with younger consumers and go after the \u201cleading brand\u201d in the sports drink space, according to Tom Gargiulo, CMO of BodyArmor Sports Nutrition, which oversees the Powerade brand under Coca-Cola.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe pride ourselves on being the underdog, what we call \u2018underestimated to undeniable,\u2019\u201d Gargiulo told Marketing Brew. \u201cWe wanted to tell the story of not only this athlete, but also of our brand\u2026With some hard work and some hard effort, we\u2019ll be able to hopefully get to the top.\u201d<\/p>\n
The brand\u2019s national campaign, \u201cIt Takes More to Get This Far,\u201d features a 30-second TV spot called \u201cThe Ladder\u201d that follows a fictional college basketball player through training, injury, recovery, and, eventually, cutting the net as a national champ. It\u2019s set to run through the tournament on streaming, CTV, social media, and out-of-home, with accompanying retail and on-site activations.<\/p>\n