Flau’Jae Johnson Drops Bars and Buckets in Powerade’s March Madness Ad

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.

It takes more

Coca-Cola has been the NCAA’s official sports drink sponsor since 2002. In 2010, Powerade assumed the official sports drink role for the college sports organization except in 2018 when sister brand BodyArmor replaced it during the NCAA championships.

“It Takes More” is tied to Powerade’s product marketing as a sports drink with 50% more electrolytes than Gatorade’s Thirst Quencher. The brand reformulated its product in 2023, and is striving to become the “go-to sports drink.”

“The story that we’re trying to tell is basically [with] these athletes,” Gargiulo told ADWEEK. “In order for them to get to that pinnacle in their career, they need to do more behind-the-scenes. When you do more, it requires different tools [and] hydration, and Powerade is that solution.”

The CMO said the original buy for this campaign was primarily geared towards social media. However, his team was “so thrilled” with the outcome that they invested more into it. 

Now, it will feature activations across national TV, digital creative, out-of-home, and social media extensions lasting throughout both the men’s and women’s tournament. The track and music video are also live across Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Music.

To measure the campaign’s success, Gargiulo will primarily examine sales as well as shopper metrics and brand awareness.

In its latest earnings, Coca-Cola reported net revenue growth of 3% to $47.1 billion for 2024, with its sports drinks category declining by 1%.