Powerade

Real enough to make you wonder

Powerade had always been about fueling performance. But in a crowded sports drink market, saying “hydration helps you perform” only gets you so far. Everyone says that. We needed to break through with something that made people stop, watch, and remember.

The insight was about playing with reality. Athletes already do things that seem impossible. The human body is capable of extraordinary feats. So what if we pushed that idea to its limit? Not to deceive, but to inspire. To show power in a way that felt almost mythical. The kind of thing that makes you lean in and say, “Wait, did that just happen?”

I helped develop the “Very Real Power” campaign. A series of ads featuring athletes performing stunts that lived somewhere between real and ridiculous. LeBron James casually draining multiple half-court shots like it’s nothing. A jogger leaping over an open drawbridge without breaking stride. Andy Roddick serving so hard the ball leaves a crater in the clay. Were they real? That was the fun of it. The stunts were fantastical, but they captured something true about what athletes aspire to. The feeling of being unstoppable.

Over 10 million views in the first month. Social media lit up with debates about what was real and what wasn’t. And Powerade carved out a space as the brand that celebrates the extraordinary. Not just what athletes do, but what they dream of doing.