Like Red Bull's Snowscrapers competition and Vitaminwater's recent pop-up, the launch of Powerade's Ion4 drink looked to engage consumers with a sporty tie-in. On Friday, at Chelsea Piers Bluestreak—an athletic training facility—the beverage company set up its "Upgrade Your Game" challenge, which involved four sports competitions, dance crews, and a live broadcast on 1050 ESPN radio. The hook to draw crowds was the promise of an appearance from New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain, the chance to win $62,000, and plenty of free Powerade.
Heading up the coordination and management of the event was Powerade's New York district marketing manager, Vanessa Rynn, who hired LeadDog Marketing Group to produce the promotion. Powerade is owned by the Coca-Cola Company.
"The new formula replaces four electrolytes typically lost in sweat. So we created four challenges to align with the four electrolytes," Rynn said.
Basing the challenges around Bluestreak's equipment, the production crew brought in a minimal amount of additional gear. An indoor mini field with goal posts allowed participants to test their soccer skills; a synthetic ice rink served as a spot for the hockey challenge; a batting cage encouraged consumers to swing at baseballs; and a basketball court was where others tried their hand at free throws. After each challenge, attendees collected a stamp on their badges, which were later entered in the raffle.
To provide attendees with an incentive to stay Chamberlain's 8:30 p.m. appearance (the doors opened to the public at 6 p.m.), Powerade also brought in some entertainment. Dance crews who appeared at an event last year performed for the crowd in one section of the basketball court (where the final challenges were held) and an M.C. devised mini games—trivia questions about Chamberlain and throwing competitions involving basketballs—to hand out branded merchandise.
For the $62,000 giveaway, a badge was chosen at random and the winner had to pitch three strikes into a custom structure designed to look like a batter's box. Although the participant missed all three, the company gave him a year's supply of Powerade along with a signed photograph of Chamberlain as a consolation prize.
