Get Served, Sweeney: Powerade’s Athlete Ambassadors Hits Back
The crossover “that no one asked for” between two of the most controversial names in media: Sydney Sweeney and Kyle Sandilands. Using AI software, Kyle has put himself into Sydney Sweeney’s infamous Novig ad. In the clip, the 55-year-old radio host strips down to his tighty whities, holding a tastefully placed football and sitting atop a basketball hoop, just like Sweeney does in the original. The clip was created by a subscriber, and was then shared on The Kyle Sandilands Live Instagram account.
In some recent advertisements for Novig, that everyone around the would have been discussing, the U.S. sports prediction market and trading platform features actor Sydney Sweeney nearly nude, using sports equipment as props to cover various parts of her body. The tagline “Just Sports” highlights that the predictive platform offers betting just on sport, and not on politics, wars, or other more wider social phenomena. They have recently followed this up with another advertisement with similar imagery, with a clip posted to Novig’s socials with Sweeney barely dressed and holding footballs. The post passed 300,000 likes within two hours.
Much like a game of tennis, Novig has lobbed their campaign over the net, and had it served swiftly back to them. In a similar tactic to Kyle, but with perhaps more impactful messaging, Powerade has used the speed of the controversy to serve as their own momentum, with Oglivy launching a reactive campaign with the message “Never Just Sports” and showing off a number of female athletes. This campaign is aligned with Powerades ongoing values, with a history of backing female athletes, boasting a stacked roster of ambassadors including Matildas star Sam Kerr, legendary gymnast Simone Biles and Aussie fitness entrepreneur Kayla Itsines. Each video ends with the message, “Never Just Sports.” The Powerade Instagram account used the same caption: “There is no just in sports” with the hashtag, “PowerYourLegacy.”
The amount of controversy and reactive campaigns to Novig’s ad campaign has been substantial, highlighting how campaigns can act in conversation, reflecting the values and messages that best resonate with their target audience. While sports betting is overwhelmingly directed towards and populated by men, Powerade is enjoyed indiscriminately by athletes, which makes it important for the Coca Cola branded product to have mass appeal and strong forward-facing values. By piggybacking on this conversation, they position themselves as being in opposition to the negativity facing Novig, and utilise the controversy to generate further discussion whilst placing themselves in a positive light. Meanwhile, Kyle piggybacks upon the controversy without placing himself in any category.
Ultimately, both examples show how brands and public figures can insert themselves into a cultural conversation, but the difference lies in what they stand to gain. While Kyle’s version leans into the absurdity of the controversy for entertainment, Powerade uses the moment to reinforce its existing values and connect with its audience. It’s a reminder that reactive marketing works best when it feels authentic to a brand, rather than simply jumping on a trending topic for attention.
by Ruby Harris | PR Coordinator
