Dive Temporary:
- Celsius expanded its identify, picture and likeness (NIL) roster with the addition of six faculty soccer standouts that shall be often called the “Important Six,” per particulars shared with Advertising and marketing Dive.
- The Important Six — Dillon Gabriel, Donovan Edwards, Jalen Milroe, Emeka Egbuka, DJ Uiagalelei and Travis Hunter — will function in an eponymous marketing campaign that features TV spots, social media content material and activations throughout retail, on-campus and client channels.
- Placing its expanded NIL roster on the middle of its advertising continues the vitality drink’s push into sports activities advertising and faculty tradition, which it additionally boosts with its Celsius College model ambassador program.
Dive Perception:
Celsius’ new NIL roster highlights prime athletes identified for on-field efficiency and off-field dedication to health and wellness, a framing that enhances the life-style vitality drink’s better-for-you worth proposition and a strategic concentrate on Gen Z, per press particulars.
“The enlargement of our NIL roster demonstrates our continued dedication to additional join our model with our collegiate communities,” stated Celsius CMO Kyle Watson in a press release. “Every athlete serves as inspiration and motivation to our shoppers and their dedication to greatness actually embodies Celsius’ Reside Match life-style.”
The six athletes are featured in an introductory 30-second spot that units their time in empty stadiums to dramatic music however no dialogue or model messaging aside from an finish title. The athletes’ personalities would be the focus of a sequence of spots that can premiere throughout the faculty soccer season.
The Important Six embody College of Colorado Boulder two-way participant Travis Hunter, College of Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, College of Michigan working again Donovan Edwards, College of Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, Ohio State College large receiver Emeka Egbuka and Florida State College quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. The Heisman hopefuls will contribute social media content material throughout platforms as a part of the marketing campaign.
The faculty soccer play is in keeping with the model’s Celsius College program, a nationwide paid scholar advertising program that helps construct the model on campuses whereas offering real-world expertise to aspiring entrepreneurs, and its earlier sponsorships within the sports activities area. The vitality drink in February signed a worldwide, multi-year, unique partnership with System 1 crew Scuderia Ferrari and final yr signed on because the official vitality drink of Main League Soccer by way of the 2026 season.
PepsiCo in 2022 took an 8.5% stake in Celsius, which now has about an 11% market share of the $19 billion vitality drink area due partly to altering client behaviors round better-for-you and practical choices.
