It’s the year of the Olympics again, and the world’s biggest brands are gearing up to say something different (after all, they’ve said quite a bit in the past) and gymnast Simone Biles was one of the first blocks to join Coca-Cola’s Powerade. From his OpenX on WPP.
It says, “Pause is power,” which is a reference to Biles’ withdrawal from the last Tokyo Olympics due to mental health reasons, and Powerade’s “Pause is power.” It seems to be the inspiration for the brand platform.
Here she goes (we hope so).
The pressure on elite athletes in any sport is intense, but one might argue that the rewards for enduring it are just as intense. Powerade has a bonafide soccer team made up of Olympic-caliber athletes.
Powerade says: “All of our Powerade partners are athletes, showing us that pausing is not an act of weakness, but a powerful commitment that helps us go further. That’s why this campaign is dedicated to their personal We’re picking up on the story of them pausing to come back stronger, which really resonates with the tribe and the humans we’re connected to.”
No one doubts for a moment Biles’ mental health issues or the grit it takes to overcome them. But mental health is becoming her 21st century cliché, considered the driving force behind all kinds of behavior. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix-funded “victimhood” is perhaps the most high-profile example.
At some point, consumers may end up asking all these people, “Life is hard sometimes, just try your best.” Some brands may have this in mind as they try to find a deeper purpose in their sports drinks, for example.
MAA Creative Scale: 5.
