New Powerade Ad, "Ankles," Timed To Launch With March Madness

A new ad for NCAA sponsor Powerade by Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, depicts the Coca-Cola brand as being able to turn an athlete into a "magically unstoppable force of nature," according to Gabriel Beltrone of ADWEEK. The 30-second spot, titled "Ankles," is "part of a campaign called 'That’s Some Kind of Power,' timed to launch with March Madness." The ad "opens on an old timer working the register at a convenience store." He is "about to ring up a bottle of blue Powerade," but the kid who is buying it and holding a basketball "isn’t getting away without a dose of nostalgic wisdom." The older store clerk says, "If I’d had this kind of power back in my day … my crossover would’ve been something else. I would’ve broke everybody’s ankles." This cues a "flashback fantasy to a '70s court, where a younger version of himself is driving toward the basket." All nearby people "inexplicably collapse as he shreds his way down the court" (ADWEEK.com, 3/15).