• by Danielle Oster , Yesterday

Energy drink brand Lucky Energy gave away “Free Money” for its latest campaign.

The “better-for-you” energy drink brand teamed up with Italian-American influencers Cugine, social media stars the Scarlotta Brothers, and New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito to give away $10,000 to a small business in New York.

After calling on companies last month to enter the contest with a 200-word submission explaining what they would do with the prize money, Cugine, DeVito, and the Scarlotta Brothers hosted a “Shark Tank” style pitch-competition to determine the winner. According to Lucky Energy, “hundreds” of New York local businesses entered, leading to the selection of 22 finalists to deliver a two-minute pitch to the celebrity hosts.

The resulting videos form the central basis for the campaign. Lucky Energy posted a “Part 1” video to its social channels last week. On Friday, the brand  posted the follow-up video and full-length ad to TikTok. It concludes with the panel unanimously selecting Corey Cash as its winner after two rounds of pitches. Cash is the founder of Corey Cash Brooklyn’s Kings County Barbeque, and said he plans to use the funds for his food truck business.

Lucky Energy’s in-house creative team was behind “Free Money,” which arrives a little over a year after last year’s rebranding campaign, which introduced the new brand name for the energy drink formerly known as “Lucky F*ck.” The rebranding effort came shortly after Lucky Energy hired Liquid Death veteran Hamid Saify as its CMO.

“As we continue to grow our brand and product portfolio in New York, we remain committed to spreading luck, entertainment, and energy to the world,” Saify said in a statement. “This campaign was designed to inspire entrepreneurs to keep pushing forward and not give up on their dreams.”