Pelicans F Zion Williamson is "making his first appearance in a Gatorade ad since signing an endorsement deal late last year," as he is "sharing the stage with a dozen other sports stars past and present, including Michael Jordan, Serena Williams and Lionel Messi," according to E.J. Schultz of AD AGE. The ad, from TBWA\Chiat\Day, L.A., "spotlights Gatorade’s long history of big-name athlete endorsers by showing footage of icons like Jordan and Peyton Manning, while mixing in current stars such as Williamson," Celtics F Jayson Tatum, Rams RB Todd Gurley and WNBA Washington Mystics F Elena Delle Donne. The ad's copy "seems aimed at asserting Gatorade’s dominance in the increasingly crowded sports drink market." The campaign "includes the brand’s first paid ad on TikTok," though Gatorade representatives "declined to share details of the TikTok buy, other than it will debut in late March." As for why Gatorade did not give Williamson a solo role in his first ad, Gatorade Head of Consumer & Athlete Engagement Jill Abbott said that the "intent of this one is to show the breadth of our relationships.” But she added, “Over the course of the year there will be times when we talk about Zion alone" (ADAGE.com, 3/2).
