This summer, brands are taking advantage of popular sporting events and stars to promote their unique product offerings. Catch up on the latest campaigns and sports sponsorships in our Weekly Must Reads.

Celsius Is the Official Energy Drink of the MLS

As the Women’s World Cup finished up last week, Major League Soccer was making its own moves. The US-based soccer league announced Celsius is now the official energy drink of the MLS. It’s the first national sports championship for the up-and-coming brand, which has seen a surge in popularity from influencer partnerships and social media word-of-mouth. According to Celsius president John Fieldly, the new deal with the MLS will allow the brand to further reach a young, diverse audience and create experiences based around a healthy lifestyle.

The MLS has experienced major growth in recent years, due in part to Lionel Messi’s new contract with Inter Miami and upcoming global soccer competitions hosted in the US. Celsius will tap into that growth with in-stadium signage, broadcast integrations on Apple TV, and in-person activations at select MLS games. Read up on all the details of the sponsorship here: https://adage.com/article/marketing-news-strategy/celsius-becomes-official-energy-drink-major-league-soccer/2511241

Degree Develops Girls’ Soccer Program

Deodorant brand Degree is also tapping into the growing hype around soccer. Their newest campaign promotes the brand’s “Change the Field” mentorship program, which provides support to girls who traditionally face challenges to accessing exercise. Degree partnered with soccer star Christen Press to launch the new program, along with Street Soccer USA, which will run a one-day soccer training program for girls in the LA area.

Degree decided to start the “Change the Field” program after learning that girls of color drop out of soccer teams at twice the rate of their white counterparts. The new program will be part of the brand’s ongoing “Breaking Limits” initiative, which has raised $5 million to support women’s sports over the last five years. Find out more about their new soccer campaign here:  https://www.marketingdive.com/news/degree-womens-world-cup-hype-girls-soccer-program/691143/

Gatorade Launches Hydration PSA

In a crowded sports drink market, Gatorade partnered with several major stars and brands this summer to make a splash. Their latest campaign, “Don’t Go Missing,” promotes the drink’s hydration benefits. The campaign’s first spot features NBA star Damian Lillard, who highlights the importance of hydration to avoid “going missing” during a clutch moment in a game. Gatorade is promoting the campaign at major sporting events throughout the summer, including the US Open, Little League World Series and WNBA season.

In addition, Gatorade partnered with Meta and the Weather Channel to create personalized, weather-based digital ads to further support the campaign. Check out Lillard’s spot and learn more about Gatorade’s summer sports efforts here: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/gatorade-meta-weather-channel-summer-campaign/688803/

Threads Sees a Major Dip in Engagement

Earlier this summer, the launch of Threads seemed to signal a potential downfall for competitor X (formerly known as Twitter). The app earned millions of downloads in its first days, and brands began jumping on board to run campaigns on the new network. However, in the weeks that followed, Threads’ engagement has dropped by nearly 80 percent, with just 576,000 daily active users.

The drop in engagement for Threads is disappointing, although not unexpected, according to some social media experts. Most new social media platforms don’t see sustained, rapid growth from the start. Meanwhile, X is still experiencing its own turmoil and challenges in keeping users on its platform. You can read more experts’ predictions on the future for Threads here: https://www.thedrum.com/news/2023/08/15/threads-engagement-has-tanked-79-do-industry-leaders-think-it-can-rebound