Gatorade
Driving Brand Affinity in the Attention Economy
Turning a milestone cultural moment into a co-creation platform — and giving fans the pen.
— Summary
Mission
Transform a landmark cultural moment into a two-way engagement platform — converting passive brand loyalty into active participation.
The Win
Delivered a social co-creation campaign that expanded Gatorade's owned social audience, earned widespread industry recognition, and established a scalable model for direct-to-fan engagement.
— Challenge
Legacy in a Fragmented Landscape
Gatorade is a brand built on the authority of elite performance — but authority doesn't protect you from irrelevance. In an increasingly fragmented media landscape, the brand needed more than awareness around a legendary athlete's career milestone. It needed participation. A broadcast campaign would generate impressions. What it wouldn't generate was the two-way engagement that keeps a heritage brand culturally relevant to the next generation. The opportunity was to turn a moment of celebration into something fans could own.
— Execution
Giving Fans the Pen
I directed a community-driven co-creation campaign putting the brand's most loyal audience in the position of creative decision-maker. Fans voted on the final design for a limited-edition product series — integrating sweepstakes mechanics with viral sharing loops to maximize organic reach and turn individual participation into collective momentum.
Earned Media Strategy
Secured high-profile coverage including Mashable — positioning the campaign as a benchmark for how heritage brands win in the attention economy by leading with participation rather than broadcast.
1
Content Velocity
Deployed an access-driven content strategy using behind-the-scenes athlete footage to extend the campaign's narrative shelf life well beyond the milestone moment.
2
Putting the brand's most loyal audience in the position of creative decision-maker.
— Impact
Nostalgia into Action
The campaign proved that legacy brands don't have to choose between honoring their history and staying culturally relevant — the right creative strategy makes both possible at once.
Social Audience
Significantly expanded Gatorade's owned social audience through direct fan participation — establishing a scalable model for direct-to-fan engagement.
Industry Creds
Earned widespread industry recognition for social media innovation — validating the shift toward participatory marketing as a strategic model, not a one-time experiment.
Production Content Strategy
Leveraged existing production assets to deliver a high volume of digital content at a fraction of traditional media cost — proving creative efficiency and cultural impact are not mutually exclusive.
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Andrew McClellan
| Executive Creative DirectorYan Goldshmidt
| Motion DesignerGwen Foutz
| Account DirectorWaldheim, Alyssa
| Account Executive