Specialist below-the-line agency 34Sport developed the campaign to capitalise on both Powerade's global sponsorship and South Africans' active lifestyles, by linking it to purchase, and offering six South Africans the opportunity to join other global winners at the Powerade Sports Academy at The Olympics in London.
"In South Africa, Powerade is a top competitor in the sports drink category," explains Grant Hillary, MD of 34Sport. "Their ready-to-drink product is very competitive and delivers good results as a convenience purchase. The challenge for Powerade lies in enticing the consumer to purchase the 750ml concentrate and increase market share in this sector."
With only four months to the London 2012 Olympic Games, Powerade opted to utilise their existing sporting sponsorship of the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour and the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon as a platform to drive the campaign, drawing their first two winners from athletes entering at the respective pre-race expos.
Both events are world-renowned and attract thousands of athletes from around the country, with the expos recording a combined footfall of more than 130 000 people.
The Powerade Performance Centre, a feature at both pre-race expos, was complete with a demonstration of the latest in sports recovery technology. Cyclists and runners could trial the Lower Body Negative Pressure Compression Chamber to optimise the circulation of oxygenated blood to their legs. A first for non-professional athletes on the continent, the device is used by some of the world's top-performing athletes across all sports codes to speed up recovery after strenuous training.
Visitors to the stand used the opportunity to purchase 750ml Powerade concentrate, where they not only stood the chance of winning instant prizes, but also a place at the Powerade Sports Academy in London. The trip includes a ticket to the London 2012 Olympic Games and the once in a lifetime opportunity to train with Olympic coaches and athletes.
"The Powerade Sports Academy will encompass a world-class programme, and will give six South African sportsmen and/or women the opportunity to train like an Olympian and experience The Olympics in a very special way," says Craig van Niekerk, Marketing Assets Manager at Coca-Cola South Africa. "Being official partners of the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour and Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon, Powerade is perfectly positioned to be the chosen sports drink for South African athletes, and to offer them a ticket to the world's ultimate sporting event."
Sports enthusiasts can select Powerade as their everyday training partner by purchasing Powerade concentrate at selected Pick n Pay, Checkers and Spar outlets, and entering the promotion in-store. The Train Like An Olympian promotion also appears on pack.
