USWNT F Alex Morgan and Gold Medal-winning decathlete Ashton Eaton are among a nine-member team of athletes signed by USOC sponsor Chobani Greek Yogurt to lead its marketing around the Rio Games. The yogurt maker will also launch three new Brazil-inspired flavors this month. Chobani’s four-to-five month Olympics activation will mark a new chapter to the controversial “no bad stuff” campaign that started earlier this year. It will use the athletes to illustrate how healthy eating and overcoming adversity leads to success. After focusing on the literal quality of its yogurt in Olympic marketing in '12 and '14, Chobani is expanding the definition of “goodness" to include inspiration, dedication and a positive attitude, said CMO Peter McGuinness. “We’re going to sell product with our ads, but we’re going to tell emotional stories as well around the brand, about how these athletes overcame their own adversity and removed bad stuff from their lives,” McGuinness said. The athlete roster also includes Gold Medal-winning wrestler Jordan Burroughs, sprinter Allyson Felix, Paralympic triathlete Melissa Stockwell, boxer Marlen Esparza, soccer player Morgan Brian, Paracyclist Allison Jones and Luis Gil, a member of the men’s under-23 soccer team that did not qualify for the Games. McGuinness said about half the campaign’s spend will go toward TV spots near and during the Olympics, which start Aug. 5. The other half will go to point-of-sale and digital efforts. TV campaigns will include both product pitches and athlete narratives. Chobani will release three Rio-inspired, limited time flavors this month: mango passion, guava and watermelon.
WHO REPPED WHO: DDCD & Partners helped broker the athlete deals on behalf of Chobani. Morgan was repped by Wasserman’s Dan Levy; Stockwell was repped by Patrick Quinn of Chicago Sports & Entertainment Partners; Esparza was repped by Sheryl Shade; Burroughs and Felix were repped by Josh Weil of WME; Brian was repped by Brendan Fitzgerald of James Grant Sports; Eaton was repped by Paul Doyle, CEO of Paul Doyle Management; Jones repped herself; and Gil was repped by Josh Keller of Cor Sports Management.
