• by Les Luchter , July 25, 2023

Dwyane Wade, the former Miami Heat legend who’s two weeks away from induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame, co-stars in “Build to Last,” a global campaign for supplement and health test company Thorne Healthtech launching July 25.

The other co-star: Dwyane’s son Zaire Wade, himself a pro player in the Basketball Africa League.

Each Wade stars in solo :30 and :15 spots from Thorne’s creative agency Buck. There’s also a :15 featuring both of them, and another :15 focusing specifically on Thorne’s Daily Greens Plus, “one of Dwyane’s product picks,” the company’s chief marketing officer Michelle Crow tells Marketing Daily.

Both Wades are shown in their daily routines, with Zaire noting: “They’re smart choices, but significant. If I make them again, again and again, who knows where they can take me.”

Here’s the Dwyane :30 and the Zaire :30.

The campaign, which Crow notes is the brand’s largest ever and also its first global effort, will run through Oct. 23. Including still images as well as the videos, content will appear on connected TV, display, paid search, YouTube, social media, and influencer marketing.

Digital out-of-home ads will also run in 12 markets -- including New York, Los Angeles, Beijing and Shanghai, with Crow citing the “potential reach, customer acquisition, and awareness we stand to gain in China.” All the cities, she says, were chosen due to their “ability to maximize exposure and brand awareness,” adding that she’s “really proud “of her in-house media buying team for putting together the global effort.

Thorne’s Wade tie-in also features two limited-edition product boxes for sale at Thorne.com, Dwyane’s for Daily Greens Plus, and Zaire’s for Amino Compex. The site will also sell water bottles, one with Dwyane’s signature, another with Zaire’s, along with extra’s like Dwyane’s Daily Greens Plus smoothie recipe.

Dwyane Wade is no stranger to product marketing. In one recent case, he teamed with actress wife Gabrielle Union to promote D2C mattress retailer Sleep Number.

Thorne, a 39-year-old company that went public two years ago, says it adheres to stricter standards than other supplement manufacturers, noting it’s the only one collaborating with the Mayo Clinic on health and wellness research and content.

The brand not only sells supplements covering nutritional support, restful sleep, and mental focus, but also health tests, including ones for vitamin D test, stress, gut health and biological age and gut health test.

Thorne’s products are sold online, by healthcare providers, and in specialty stores like Erewhon and Sprouts.