By Sabrina Lynch
- Bodyarmor unveils its biggest-ever packaging refresh after stale shelf performance
- The global sports drink market is set to reach $57B by 2032
Coca-Cola (KO +0.50%) has invested in a complete rebrand of its flagship sports drink Bodyarmor to gain more traction in the performance drinks category. It will be the brand’s largest-ever media investment to reinvigorate customer purchase and loyalty. Bodyarmor’s rebirth includes new packaging, revised logo and an athlete-packed advertising campaign that includes WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu and NFL player Joe Burrow. Competition in the category will certainly be heating up this summer, so Bodyarmor’s revised strategy comes at an ample time to build sales momentum.
Why This Matters: The sports-drink landscape is changing at a rapid pace due to consumer craving for more innovative products. Gatorade, Powerade, and new entrants to the market such as Unwell Hydration are having to change up their strategies to stand out in the highly competitive category. Gatorade has already turned with K-Dot himself, Kendrick Lamar, to narrate an ad depicting the history of the drink while his song “Peekaboo”plays. Star power will potentially help bolster volumes of performance drinks all round, which fell by 4.1% last year.
The approach worked for Bodyarmor before when Kobe Bryant – who served as the brand’s creative director, invested $6 million for 10% of the sports drink over a decade ago, which turned into a sweet $400 million return when the company sold to Coca-Cola in 2021 for $5.6 billion. Bodyarmor’s premium position, past and current affiliation with sports athletes could help lift sales in a tough climate. Prime is a prime example of struggles in the category. The sports drink backed by YouTuber Logan Paul saw its volumes drop by 22.8% and dollar sales fall by 26.5%. With the global sports drink market set to reach $57 Billion by 2032, brand positioning is key to secure a spot.
What’s Next: It will be interesting to see whether this rebrand will be in favor of Coca Cola and help reclaim its position but it’s also a lesson for brands that they cannot afford to remain stagnant in a fast-evolving market. Consumer preferences are shifting rapidly toward health-conscious, functional beverages, and brands must continuously innovate and adapt to stay relevant.
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