Accelerade
Athlete Influencer Program
When the 800lb
gorilla in the sports drinks
category has a marketing spend 100
times greater than yours, how do you
launch a new brand successfully, and
at a premium?
That was the challenge that Cadbury
Schweppes Americas Beverages asked
Ammo to accept with the re-launch of
Accelerade in the summer of 2006.
True to our Challenger Brand
heritage, we recommended inverting
the usual logic: Rather than try to
compete with Gatorade, we ideated,
planned and executed a long-term
strategy to educate, involve and
provide emotional and performance
value to the Influencers in key
endurance sports that would form
Accelerade’s go-to-market base.
Other notable brands in the sports
drink category ship boxes of
concentrate to races and retail and
call it a day’s work. Instead, we
built a multi-tiered strategy
utilizing Regional Brand Ambassadors
that blanketed the country with a
layer of support never before seen
by coaches, teams and athletes. By
working directly with Peer and Über
Influencers in 15 markets, Ammo |
created natural evangelists of the most
respected triathletes, runners, cyclists and
coaches and teams across the US, turning
Accelerade’s patented 4:1
carbohydrate-to-protein formula into a
rallying cry. We knew we would need the
support from the elites and a logo on a
jersey wouldn’t be enough to differentiate
the brand in such a cutthroat marketplace.
We became
the face of Accelerade in our markets,
integrating a web of multi-dimensional touch
points. We brought 6-Time Ironman Champion
Dave Scott to host performance and
nutritional clinics in our cities; we
identified and sponsored elite level
athletes and races; and we hosted Accelerade
Aid stations for clubs at their local rides,
runs, swims and clinics.
In summary, we ensured that Accelerade added
value to our core athletes, coaches,
retailers and event organizers; guaranteeing
that 4:1 became synonymous with the ultimate
in sporting performance.
The Results?
The client was thrilled with the groundwork
and accelerated acceptance by the nation’s
top amateur endurance athletes (more than
300,000 |
touched directly by
Ammo’s efforts),
allowing CSAB to launch
Accelerade’s
ready-to-drink version
successfully in the
summer of 2007.
Over the first 9 months of our program,
Pacific Health Labs (Accelerade’s creator)
saw its stock price increase by 50%. Powder
sales were up 75% in Q1 versus previous
year, without any change in traditional
marketing. Findings from a survey to test
brand advocacy revealed that 70% of athletes
are “very” likely to recommend the product
to a friend. Moreover, Ammo’s work in the
field has opened the doors to new retail
accounts for Accelerade Ready-to-Drink —
with our grassroots Influencer program a key
ongoing component of the brand mix for 2008
and beyond.
Awards
2007 Global Marketer Diamond: Best Tribal
Marketing Campaign — Beverages
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