STARTING POINT

In a world that glorifies the “go, go, push, push, never stop” mentality, still 35% of pro athletes have breakdowns and struggle with their mental health.

IDEA

PAUSE IS POWER.

A creative platform that supports athletes' mental health worldwide.

EXECUTION

The PAUSE IS POWER platform launched in March 2022 during the March Madness championship in the US and rolled out globally in film, OOH, social and brand acts. We partnered with SIMONE BILES - who became famous for taking a stand for mental health - and some other famous athletes joined to show the world how to take a pause in a lighthearted way. Then, we walked the talk by starting a program to donate scholarships to make sure athletes could pause for real.

TO POWER LIFE BEYOND THE WIN.

That was the brand purpose for POWERADE.

With a new generation already rewriting the rules of winning, leading to a breaking point for a toxic sports culture, it was time to break the monopoly with a game-changing POV:

The new way to win isn't in the push. It's in the pause.

No better brand to embrace the cause, and no better product to prove it:

PAUSE IS POWER.

Powerade is the challenger brand that wants people to know, feel,

and believe that taking a pause is not an act of weakness but one of power that helps you to come back stronger. “Pause is Power” challenges the “win at all costs” mentality associated with modern sports culture by portraying the pause—a moment of laughter, reflection, community and recovery—as an act of humanity with regenerative benefits.

We achieved this through fun, light hearted moments, but also insightful and more topical ones that show the power in athletes taking moments to pause for themselves. Ultimately, the hope is that people take away a message that reminds them of the importance of play and fun in sport, but also the greater message of taking care of oneself as being more important than any win.

Pause is Power became the perfect platform for athletes and coaches to take part in a movement for change. We enlisted some of the most well known and vocal athletes in sport, like Simone Biles and some of the most unexpected pro-pause sports figures, like Antonio Conte and even Olympic Diver Tom Daley. Each Athlete and coach was chosen to show that whether you’re speaking up for mental health in sports, or taking time to appreciate life outside of sport, that sports are meant to be enjoyed by athletes as much as the fans.