Watch Powerade’s emotional Simone Biles Olympics ad

While gymnast Simone Biles has thrilled millions with her physical gifts, the moment she chose not to compete is turning out to be every bit as inspiring. Biles’ story of withdrawing from the team and all-around competitions in the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo to address her mental well-being was the inspiration behind Powerade’s “Pause is Power” platform, adopted in 2022. Now as the Summer Games in Paris approach, Biles is featured in a new ad kicking off the Coca-Cola sports drink’s Olympic game plan, which includes a creative campaign featuring a team of international athletes, an Olympic Village activation and a limited-edition new product, Powerade Gold. The Biles ad, called “The Vault,” opens as a cacophony of media noise surrounds the athlete. She tunes it out and begins her vault routine, only to hear her own voice reflecting on her struggles and seeing scenes from her personal life play out, all while slow-motion spinning in mid-air. The creative was directed by Somesuch director Kim Gehrig. The campaign was created by WPP Open X, led by Ogilvy and supported by EssenceMediacom, David Miami, and VML, along with AlterEko and Form&Fun. Matrona Filippou, Coca-Cola’s global president for hydration, sports, coffee and tea, in an interview said Biles’ actions resonated with a sports audience for whom the scoreboard didn’t tell the entire story. These fans are moved by athletes who aren’t all-conquering but instead demonstrate they can take a step back to come back stronger. “As we looked at the brand, we wanted to dig deep in terms of who the consumers were, who the tribes were, and how we connected with them. And one of the key insights was that winning is important, but it’s not everything,” Filippou said. Sign up for Ad Age newsletters From influencer marketing to agencies, get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox Click here Biles, who is competing in international gymnastics again, is “very transparent, very open, very vulnerable and very human,” Filippou said. “We wanted to highlight the incredible story of resilience, self-reflection and courage that so many athletes experience and our partnership with Simone Biles is the perfect example of what this could look like.” Powerade’s roster of international athletes—including cyclists Mathilde Gros (France) and Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands); soccer players Linda Motlhalo (South Africa) and Ji So-Yun (South Korea); and surfer Tyler Wright (Australia), among others—will also be featured in the campaign. “Powerade partners are all athletes and have shown they’re taking a pause is not an act of weakness, but rather a powerful undertaking, that helps you go even further,” Filippou said. “And that’s why we featuring their personal stories in this campaign. For them to have taken a pause to come back stronger, and it really resonates with the tribe, and the humans that we connecting with.” As sister brand Coca-Cola most famously demonstrated with its long-running “The pause that refreshes” slogan, “pause is power” has become a fertile creative ground for Powerade, which promotes the occasion for its product. “A pause could be a moment just to reflect, take it all in, it could be a moment to self-assess, and it could be a moment to just celebrate other moments in your life. And that enables you to have the energy to come back to the sports arena a lot stronger,” Filippou said. The notion carries into a first-of-its-kind Olympic Village experience, developed with the International Olympic and Paralympic Committee, that will provide “an environment for respite, physical recovery, VR visualization practices, and conversations around mental health,” according to the brand. Powerade Gold—a limited-time product featuring “a unique blend of golden fruits” will be available around the Olympic games, which begin July 26. Powerade’s Olympic campaign will be seen in 28 countries including the U.S., where the brand has taken a different approach to advertising. The “It Takes More” campaign focuses on a recent formulation makeover adding more vitamins and electrolytes to the beverage. Coca-Cola’s sports drink portfolio, which also includes Bodyarmor, was flat on a case volume basis in 2023. Full-year performance was benefited by growth of Powerade in Latin America, offset by a decline in Bodyarmor, the company said in a filing. Dan Lovinger, president of Olympic and Paralympic partnerships for NBCUniversal, in a press briefing this week said the Paris Games were “on track to generate the most advertising revenue in Olympic history,” with $1.2 billion in sales so far, including $350 million from new advertisers. Lovinger said the broadcaster was seeing “significant increases” from non-alcohol beverage advertisers, along with consumer packaged goods companies, retailers, financial services and entertainment. Ad inventory for the opening and closing ceremonies has already sold out, Lovinger added. “Digital advertising revenue for this year is already setting a new record, surpassing any digital ad revenue in the history of the Games,” he added.

Watch Powerade’s emotional Simone Biles Olympics ad

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