• by Erik Oster , March 26, 2024

In a new campaign, Muscle Milk demonstrates the parallels between professional athletes and everyday routines.

The protein shake and supplement brand’s “Strength For It All” campaign uses cuts between pro athlete’s training routines and the daily demands of parenting for a pair of ads starring Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez and WNBA’s Candace Parker, who is a power forward for the league’s Las Vegas Aces.

Rodriguez makes his debut for the brand in an ad that  jumps from the star pushing strength training equipment to a woman pushing a stroller and back, concluding with the “Own Your Strength” tagline and a nod to the brand’s MLB sponsorship – arriving ahead of the league’s opening day on March 28.

A longtime brand partner, Parker appears in an ad which switches between the WNBA icon training and sinking shots to a father lifting and spinning his young daughter around in the yard. Throughout both of the  ads, the brand also repeatedly highlights that the product contains 40 grams of protein.

The effort is meant to dispel assumptions that protein shakes are solely “for pro athletes bulking up in the gym, or people with intense workout regimens,” Marissa Pines, senior marketing director for PepsiCo’s Gatorade portfolio, told Marketing Daily. “Our mission is to make our products more approachable [for audiences], no matter what fitness looks like in their world.”

She adds, "We've seen over the last several years that some of our campaign executions that have been most successful feature a mix of pro athletes and … everyday people at home, doing what they do. It’s not just strength for the gym, it’s strength for it all.”

“Strength For It All” will debut nationally early next month, running across streaming platforms, online video and social media.. Pines explained that the media plan was developed to target a wide range of audiences, with a particular emphasis on reaching a “forever athlete” demographic of individuals devoted to maintaining everyday health and fitness routines.

The campaign arrives on the heels of Muscle Milk debuting its plant-based Muscle Milk Plant product, which Pines characterized as the brand’s first major innovation since Gatorade acquired Muscle Milk several years ago -- and an opportunity for the brand to appeal to a younger demographic of consumers looking for more plant-based options.

While not featured in the pair of campaign launch ads, Muscle Milk Plant will be featured alongside other products in the brand portfolio for the next stage of the campaign in May, which Pines said aims to reach both existing Muscle Milk customers and plant-based category purchasers. American pro soccer player, and international soccer star, Christian Pulisic -- who recently joined the brand’s athlete roster alongside Rodriguez  --  will star as the face of Muscle Milk Plant in an ad timed to coincide with peak international soccer season.

According to Pines, Muscle Milk Plant took years of development to make it to market. "As we looked at the category, a couple of barriers were taste and protein quality,” she added. “The Muscle Milk brand and concept overcame the taste barrier, and the product delivered on the protein profile" with 25 to 30 grams.