Celsius on Wednesday (Aug. 27) unveiled its 2025 name, image and likeness (NIL) roster, calling on college football standouts from major programs to construct on its recently launched “Live. Fit. Go” brand campaign, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
The effort kicks off with a 30-second anthem spot that can run nationally and focuses on the energy of college football game day, spanning tailgates, marching bands, mascots and more. Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood and Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik feature in individual 15-second ads that provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse at their lives beyond football.
The 360-degree view of high-performing athletes is in line with previous “Live. Fit. Go” creative, which demonstrated how Celsius helped people with lively lifestyles — like a nurse who surfs or a businesswoman who runs marathons — meet their energy needs. The campaign launched in June and raised aided awareness and positive feedback from retailers, in response to a recent earnings call. Early results encouraged Celsius to extend its investment within the campaign within the second half of 2025 to assist construct on the 9% revenue growth the brand saw in Q2.
Tying “Live. Fit. Go” to its ongoing NIL efforts, which Celsius has utilized to have interaction Gen Z consumers, was a natural fit for a brand that has made college campuses a spotlight through its Celsius University and brand ambassador programs.
“We desired to showcase how [‘Live. Fit. Go’] pertains to on a regular basis lives and things which might be outside of that aspirational athlete that we’ve all the time leaned into, and that you just see energy drinks partnering with,” said Celsius CMO Kyle Watson. “We’re still taking a look at our athlete partners, and even other partners outside of athletes that use Celsius on daily basis of their line of labor.”
Culture curators
Celsius Holdings, which produces its namesake product and purchased the Alani Nu brand for $1.8 billion in February, now accounts for greater than 17% of the U.S. energy drink category, up 180 basis points versus a 12 months ago. The momentum comes as consumers increasingly reach for zero sugar, functional beverages, per the earnings call. The brand’s soaring trajcetory has been supported by a ubiquitous marketing strategy.
“We call ourselves Generation C, which is culture curators, and we’re all about being a part of culture,” Watson said.
For Celsius — and marketers across categories — football stays a vital cultural touchpoint. Along with its recent NIL-focused campaign, Celsius will run its first national TV industrial during an NFL broadcast this fall.
“We intend to take a position more in several channels that we haven’t played as big in. We’re doing a big media buy across the NFL, and really leveraging that with our athlete partners that we’re featuring,” Watson said, noting that former NIL partner Travis Hunter is now within the league.
Celsius has previously been focused on social and digital marketing to create organic, authentic buzz. But regardless of the channel, the brand will proceed to work to drive excitement around relevant culture moments and spaces — a method that might be more of a priority “than simply plain media buys and commercials,” Watson added.
To accomplish that, the Celsius marketing team keeps a pulse on culture across sports and beyond. The brand tapped into interest around Formula One racing stoked by Netflix’s popular “Drive to Survive” series by signing a multiyear partnership last 12 months with Scuderia Ferrari. Consumer interest in the game has continued to grow (see also: this summer’s Brad Pitt-starring blockbuster “F1”) and Celsius has created more experiences around F1 races.
“We do it in another way than other brands. We’re not nearly throwing logos on a automobile or on a driver,” Watson said. “We really lean into the emotional connection that folks need to all the things that happens around [F1]… bringing our brand partners out to the races, creating experiences which might be really brand-owned.”
Reaching women
Celsius has used the “Live. Fit. Go” campaign to succeed in more consumers somewhere else. The brand has continued to activate around music at gatherings like Breakaway Music Festival and CMA Fest that increasingly include a fitness component.
“We’re really bringing ‘Live. Fit. Go’ full circle and making it something that’s not only concerning the fitness component, nevertheless it’s those that are like-minded: they wish to be certain that they’re staying fit, but additionally they really enjoy these memorable, emotionally connected experiences,” Watson said.
The brand this summer also partnered with country music star Kelsea Ballerini to showcase through social content how Celsius suits into her lifestyle. An extended-time fan of the product — Ballerini coined the term “Kelsius” as a tag for the content — provides a stronger, more authentic connection between brand and ambassador.
“It’s so helpful for us to search out partners that actually love our brand and that actually drink it. We don’t want to only exit and find those that make sense because they hit the precise audiences,” Watson said.
Partnerships like those with Ballerini and music festivals, along with its work in sports, have helped the brand reach more women audiences because it strives to realize 50-50 parity between men and ladies consumers. The acquisition of the influencer-friendly Alani Nu could help its parent company in the identical way.
“From a brand standpoint, Alani has this more playful, somewhat bit more female-friendly [profile],” Watson said. “It’s a extremely nice incremental brand in our portfolio.”
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