Why Coca-Cola made March Madness a moment for BodyArmor

Powerade has been a sponsor of the NCAA for nearly every year since 2010. This year, though, that sponsorship, including the designation as the official sports drink of March Madness, is going to a sister brand instead.

It’s a unique year in the world of sports, with both the Olympics and Paralympics and the World Cup, and as a result, some organizations have had to reassess their marketing plans. Among them is the Coca-Cola Company, which owns both BodyArmor and Powerade and is giving BodyArmor prime positioning courtside, according to the brand’s VP of marketing, Sara Weaver.

“This is really a part of the evolution for both brands,” Weaver told Marketing Brew. “BodyArmor is going to continue to lead traditional American sports…and Powerade’s commitment and focus is really on the sport of soccer.”

With BodyArmor now running the court, Weaver said the brand’s March Madness plan is to leverage athlete partnerships to reinforce its relevance and the messaging that it’s been pushing since its rebrand last year.

Pros and college

BodyArmor is kicking off its March Madness media push on Selection Sunday, March 15, with a national TV ad and accompanying creative on digital, streaming, out-of-home, and social platforms.

The campaign is a “refreshed version” of BodyArmor’s “Choose Better” creative,” Weaver said, which rolled out with the rebrand. That campaign showcases a combination of pro and everyday athletes and is designed to convey that BodyArmor is both a relatable brand and a “superior” sports drink, CMO Tom Gargiulo told us when it debuted.

This year’s March Madness creative takes the same approach. The spot features LSU senior guard and hip‑hop artist Flau’jae Johnson, who led Powerade’s March Madness campaign last year, alongside pros like New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, and Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, as well as everyday people working out.

Weaver said her team was eager to continue the relationship with Johnson, and felt the athlete continued to be a natural fit for the BodyArmor brand given its current messaging.

“She embodies this ‘Choose Better’ mentality really, really well,” Weaver said. “Even having conversations with her, she’s all about, ‘How do I continue to improve and be better than yesterday?’ which is so endemic to the brand DNA.”

On campus

There’s an in-person component to the campaign, including booths that feature samples at both the men’s and women’s Final Four games. BodyArmor branding will appear at games throughout the tournament on benches, towels, bottles, and coolers, and the brand has about 20 NIL partners who will “help us amplify our presence during March Madness” even further, Weaver said.

The campaign was designed primarily to leverage some of the cultural cache that’s associated with the tournament, according to Weaver.

“When we were making the strategy decision to move March Madness over to BodyArmor, I was over the moon, because one of my major objectives for BodyArmor is driving awareness,” she said. “BodyArmor is probably the biggest brand with the lowest awareness that’s out there; we still only have less than 30% household awareness.”

Coca-Cola’s unit case volume was up 5% for its sports drinks vertical, according to the company’s latest earnings report, results that helped drive overall business growth. But the company took a $960 million writedown related to BodyArmor, marking the second such charge related to the brand since Coca-Cola took full ownership of BodyArmor in 2021.

With Powerade focused on international soccer, Weaver said BodyArmor will maintain the portfolio’s presence in American sports, including the NHL and NCAA. After March Madness, she said, the brand will have a presence on college campuses in the fall through football.

“March Madness is one of the most iconic stages in sports,” Weaver said. “We are thrilled to be a part of it…and we’ll continue to build on that [work] throughout sports.”