Leonard not being active on social media was among the things that appealed to X2X2
Clippers F Kawhi Leonard has signed on to be both the face of energy drink brand X2 Performance and a member of its BOD, and AD AGE’s Josh Golden noted the agreement was “seen as a huge get” in both the sports and marketing worlds. Golden led a roundtable discussion about the partnership, and UWG Chair & CEO Monique Nelson noted the difficulty in launching X2 to the marketplace amid a pandemic, an economic turndown and the ongoing racial and social unrest. Nelson said, “You are trying to bring a brand to life, you are trying to connect. But you also need to be so sensitive as to what’s going on. Then you have this amazing talent in Kawhi and making sure that we are holding true to his values and ensuring that the main piece that’s coming across is he’s not just a brand, but he’s actually a business partner.” X2 CEO Mark French noted Leonard likely was offered “every endorsement in the beverage category,” but having Leonard already a fan for the beverage “makes the conversation that much easier.” Leonard famously is not active on social media, and French said that actually was “one of the things that drew us to him.” French: “Not only is he really using the product and it’s something that he’s really behind, there are no gimmicks with Kawhi. You’re not going to see a lot of false narratives” (“Ad Age Publisher’s Panel,” ADAGE.com, 1/19).
