Shamrock Farms has signed two-time Gold Medal-winning skier Ted Ligety to anchor its protein drink Rockin’ Refuel’s '18 PyeongChang Games campaign. Ligety will appear in digital, print, social and point-of-sale promotions starting in September, said Shamrock Farms Dir of Brand Management Blake Atkinson. Ligety is the first Olympian signed by the company, which in '16 signed a three-year deal as the official protein beverage of U.S. Ski & Snowboarding Association. “We looked at Ted because he is one of the most decorated skiers in U.S. history, he’s very well-respected by the fans, so we know he’s been in the sport and excelled for a very long time, so he’s definitely at the top of the heap,” Atkinson said. Shamrock will be applying to the USOC for a Rule 40 waiver that, if granted, would allow its Ligety-Rockin’ Refuel campaign to continue into the Olympics themselves in February. Without a waiver, Shamrock would have to pull Ligety from the market during the Games because it does not sponsor the USOC, the IOC or the PyeongChang Games. Shamrock does have pass-through rights to use the Olympic rings on its white milk products via its membership in the MilkPEP consortium, which has a USOC deal. Financial terms of the one-year deal were not disclosed. Marketing agency Current advises Shamrock Farms. Ligety is represented by Ken Sowles, whose deputy Erica MacConnell negotiated the deal. Ligety's other sponsors include Audi, GoPro and Putnam Investments, among others.
