(Bloomberg) -- Coca-Cola’s Powerade sports drink brand is making a big push into college sports, signing about three dozen top college athletes to endorsement deals, including top-ranked University of Georgia quarterback Carson Beck.
A marketing campaign will focus on a group of football stars that includes Louisiana State University quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, University of Southern California wide receiver Zachariah Branch and University of Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson. The brand has signed more than 35 college athletes to name, image and likeness deals to “further amplify the campaign’s footprint.”
With rivals such as PepsiCo Inc.’s Gatorade and Prime Hydration having agreements in place with many of the biggest professional athletes and teams, and competition for endorsements ramping up, Powerade is focusing on college sports. The brand has a long-term deal with March Madness as part of the strategy.
“We decided to make a pivot to really focus on college sports,” said Thomas Gargiulo, chief marketing officer at BodyArmor, which is another sports drink owned by Coca-Cola, in an interview. “It was a space that was underleveraged, especially within our category.”
Powerade is no longer associated with Ja Morant, of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies, who was signed in 2023 to be the brand’s new face. Morant was suspended later that year after he appeared to flash a gun on a live social media feed for a second time.
Beck, a contender for college football’s highest award, the Heisman Trophy, and a potential top pick in the NFL Draft, is set to start the season against Clemson on Aug. 31. He said Powerade approached him with the deal during the offseason.
“I wanted to jump on it, as the nationally-known brand that it is,” he said in an interview.
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