Powerade Plays a Numbers Game, on Its Bottles and in New Ad

Coca-Cola’s Powerade plays a wacky numbers game in its latest campaign from Haymaker and Radical Media director Dave Meyers.

A half-minute ad shows athlete jersey numbers between 0 and 99 as silly situations quickly add up. At one point, a power forward/chef really cooks while driving down court. Later, a softball batter freezes in ice at the plate.

A wide receiver/barber setting up shop in the end-zone is the best bit. (They better not cut him from the team!)

Themed “Power in Numbers,” the slick spot continues Meyers’ comic winning streak, which includes last year’s classic-hits sendup for AAA and Frito-Lay’s 2019 holiday extravaganza with Anna Kendrick.

For a limited time, athletes can pick up special Powerade and Powerade Zero Sugar bottles emblazoned with their own number:

It’s basically counter programming versus long-running category No. 1 Gatorade from PepsiCo, which often fields superstars in its high-profile ads.

“No matter what team sport or level of play, the player’s number is a part of their athletic identity,” Powerade director of content and creative excellence Alex Ames tells Muse. “And we know everyday athletes choose numbers for their own reason and story. Numbers also have a variety of meanings—not just an association with a jersey number.”

“Maybe it’s the amount of reps, a birthday or anniversary date, a personal best, or points you put up on the scoreboard—whatever it is, we know there’s a powerful story behind these numbers,” Ames says.
 
Spots drop March 14 on CBS, TNT and elsewhere. They will appear during coverage of the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, with Powerade as the official sports-drink sponsor of March Madness. Also on tap: in-game billboards plus mobile video and banners on YouTube and Instagram.

This PSA from last year offers a very different take on jersey numbers. Stars from 14 sports leagues thanked front-line healthcare professionals by giving them the shirts off their backs.

CREDITS

Client – Powerade
Agency – Haymaker
CCO, Co-Founder – Jay Kamath
CSO, Co-Founder – Matt Johnson
Chief Production Officer – Dan Ruth
Associative Creative Director – Johnross Post
Senior Writer – Max Schein
Producer – Estevan Palomino
Brand Director – Jake Welch
Production Company – Radical Media
Director – Dave Meyers