• by Les Luchter , 3 hours ago

Two supplement brands -- Thorne and Opella’s Qunol -- are on the move with athlete-backed marketing pushes.

Thorne

NBA star Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons holds court in Thorne’s latest commercials.

Four :30 ads created by P3, don’t directly identify Cunningham. They include a multiproduct hero spot and ones specifically plugging Plant Protein, Daily Electrolytes and Advanced Pre-Workout.

The campaign, with media placed by Adomni, will run through October on connected TV, including Prime Video, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock and Netflix.

Other paid advertising is running on such media as display, search and -- in Los Angeles, New York City, Dallas and Miami -- -digital out of home. Last January, Thorne Chief Growth Officer told Marketing Daily last January that the brand uses New York and Los Angeles for their “scale and cultural impact”; and Miami and Dallas because they “represent fast-growing wellness markets.”

An influencer campaign is upcoming, Thorne says.

Thorne has also been using celebrities in its marketing for a couple of women’s-targeted products: ballet icon Misty Copeland for Perimenopause Complete, and actress Lana Condor for Women’s Libido Boost.

Cade Cunningham’s other brand partnerships include Nike, for which next season, he’ll become the sixth active NBA player with a signature sneaker line.

Qunol

Skateboard icon Tony Hawk, a Qunol spokesperson since 2023, is helping consumers “Move Like a Champion” in a campaign that includes organic and paid social, retail media, influencer marketing and, as its centerpiece, a contest.

Known largely for its CoQ10 supplements, Qunol is using “Move Like a Champion” to “build awareness and consideration” for its turmeric and magnesium products, Qunol’s Head of Brand Jennifer Yomoah tells Marketing Daily.  

The campaign aims to do that “by connecting their joint, muscle and bone health benefits to something consumers already value: the ability to keep moving and continue doing the things they love,”  Yomoah says. The target audience: “adults 40+ who are thinking more proactively about staying active and supporting their health as they age, while reinforcing that movement can look different for everyone.”

“I’ve been showing the world how I move for decades. Now it’s your move,” says Hawk in an Instagram post.

“Show us how you ‘Move Like a Champion’ in a video on Facebook or Instagram,” instructs campaign influencer Alex Piccirilli, a fitness coach and Nike trainer. In a post showing her playing pickleball, she says she wants “to inspire people to find activities that get them moving every day.”

The contest’s grand prize winner will receive a prize package valued at $1,200 that includes a Tony Halk-signed skateboard, Birdhouse T-shirt and sweatshirt, and Yapa helmet.

Campaign agencies include /prompt and Tony Hawk’s production company 900 Films.