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Powerade is the official drink of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and ahead of March Madness, the brand wants to land a slam dunk as the fans’ bottle of choice.
The Coca-Cola-owned label has rolled out “It Takes More to Get This Far,” a two-ad campaign expanding on “It Takes More,” which first debuted during the 2024 tournament.
The 2025 iteration features “The Ladder” and “What It Takes,” two Ogilvy NY-led spots pegged at the upcoming men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.
It also includes social videos starring Powerade’s college ambassadors: University of Connecticut (UConn) forward Alex Karaban, University of Arizona Wildcats guard Caleb Love, and North Carolina State University Wolfpack guard Saniya Rivers.
“The Ladder” follows a fictional athlete who goes through the motions of training and overcoming hardship, ultimately reaching the tournament and coming out on top.
“The ladder in March Madness is the final part, when [players] climb to the top and cut the net,” Ogilvy’s creative director Jonathan Yurek told ADWEEK. “That is such a symbolic message in relation to what an athlete actually has to endure to get to that point.”
The second ad “What It Takes,” the brand took a more real-life approach, recruiting 2023 NCAA national champion Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers guard Flau’Jae Johnson.
Johnson doubles as a rapper, and after working with her for 2024’s “March Doesn’t Start in March” spot (the brand’s first iteration of the “It Takes More,” platform) Powerade decided to lean into her music background to underscore how it supports its athletes on and off the court.
Yurek and fellow Ogilvy creative director Pete Nordstrom said that the brief was to capture the attention of fans and athletes in a way that creates relevancy for Powerade.
For “What It Takes,” the agency and brand landed on a music video concept, enlisting Lyrical Lemonade director Cole Bennett to help develop the spot. It also features an original song written by Johnson, something they hope will ring throughout the tournament.
“She is an amazing basketball player and is an amazing rapper, so the amount of time she spends on the court plus the amount of time she spends in the studio, that’s such an ‘it takes more’ story,” said Nordstrom.
