Gatorade focused its new campaign for March Madness on the athletic talent of three NCAA stars: Cooper Flagg of the Duke Blue Devils, Paige Bueckers of the UConn Huskies, and JuJu Watkins of the USC Trojans.
This campaign serves as a continuation of “Is It In You?”, a Gatorade initiative launched in 2024. Its debut made a strong impression among NCAA fans, especially among the followers of these three young athletes, who are rising stars in college basketball.
A spot that inspires young athletes worldwide
The new Gatorade campaign is the result of creative work by Wasserman, the brand’s official social agency. The commercial features Flagg, Bueckers, and Watkins speaking in voice-over about the benefits of playing basketball.
The ad was published on all of Gatorade’s social media platforms, as well as those of the three athletes. This time, Jeff Kearney, Gatorade’s Global Sports Marketing Director, led the project on behalf of the brand.
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The clip carries the tagline “Give everything to the game and take what’s yours ⚡️.” It highlights the dedication that propelled Flagg, Bueckers, and Watkins to stand out in the NCAA. It also reflects on what they have gained from their experience as college athletes.
“I can talk about what it took for me to get here… My work, my dream, my talent,” says Watkins at the beginning of the clip. Flagg follows with the question, “But what about everything I took?” To this, Bueckers responds: “I took their stop, their cry, their noise, their shots, their time, their comments, their love… I took all of that… And now, when I’m out there, all I hear is ball.”
It’s no coincidence that these three NCAA legends were chosen by Gatorade for its March Madness campaign. Cooper Flagg is the first male college basketball player to be sponsored by Gatorade, represented by CAA Sports.
Similarly, Bueckers, represented by Wasserman, and Watkins, represented by Klutch Sports, joined the brand in 2024. In fact, Gatorade will launch the Gatorade Squeeze bottle, a limited edition created in collaboration with JuJu Watkins.
