• by Danielle Oster , Yesterday

Functional energy drink Celsius is calling on audiences to “Live. Fit. Go” in what the brand claims is its largest marketing initiative yet.

The campaign taps into the brand’s existing “Live Fit” ethos, while expanding the message beyond the sports and fitness narratives typical of the category to everyday moments, in an effort to reach a wider audience.

The brand debuted the anthem ad at the center of the campaign June 2 on its Instagram page. It follows the story of a nurse who balances his career with his passion for cycling and surfing. Other ads share similar stories of a firefighter juggling saving lives with family time, and a marathon runner/corporate climber, as well as highlighting Celsius’ roster of athlete brand partners. 

Celsius teamed up with creative agency Anomaly on the campaign, which unfolds across a 30-second anthem ad, and three 15-second ads, helmed by director and producer Jackson Tisi Those ads will be supported by a cross-platform campaign unfolding over the course of the year, including the introduction of new characters, and an influencer marketing component in conjunction with Celsius brand partners.

Following its launch in the U.S., the campaign will expand internationally.

“Celsius is a functional energy drink created for active lifestyles -- providing energy to support active individuals in their daily routines,” Celsius CMO Kyle Watson said in a statement. “With ‘Live. Fit. Go.,’ we’re peeling back the layers of what energy truly means to people – whether it’s a surge of focus for a demanding job, the stamina to chase your personal passions, or the resilience to balance life’s responsibilities.”

Celsius’ parent company, Celsius Holdings alluded to the campaign in a recent earnings call with investors.

“We are increasing our marketing investments behind our core Celsius brand and our ‘Live Fit’ identity. These investments will support our strategy of reaching more people in more places more often,” Celsius Holdings CEO John Fiedly said during the call.

Celsius’ largest-ever campaign follows the brand going big for March Madness, through a campaign that saw the brand sign name, image, and likeness (NIL) agreements with a player from every single team in the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments.

It also arrives in the wake of Celsius announcing it will acquire energy drink brand Alani Nu.

Celsius Holdings claims that its portfolio captured a 16.2% dollar share of the energy drink market for the quarter ending March 30th, and that Celsius and Alani Nu collectively accounted for around 20% of total energy drink category dollar growth for the year’s first quarter, after representing 50% of total category growth last year.

During a recent call regarding the Alani Nu acquisition, Celsius Holdings’ CFO Jarrod Langhans explained that the company “will maintain separate marketing or brand teams in order to maintain the voice of each brand” and has “carved out a very strong team that is supporting Alani on a day-to-day basis.”