We needed to tell a story of change; one that helped consumers look past PowerBar’s lack of innovation and instead see PowerBar in a new light. We thought the best way to do this was to tell the story of PowerBar’s Clean Start.

So we turned to an incredibly successful and handsome Olympic athlete who had recently fallen from grace and needed a Clean Start of his own. Yup, PowerBar tapped Ryan Lochte’s broad shoulders to launch the new Clean Whey product line. We knew the reaction could be mixed, but that was the point – to create a sensational story that would earn massive media coverage, and get people talking about the brand again. Lochte invited America to make their own Clean Start pledge and get a free Clean Whey bar.

With only a few weeks to plan, the PR team quickly developed a media strategy to make the most of the brand’s association with the silver-haired swimmer. The team secured four marquee earned media exclusives to run before the new advertising creative. These features in Fortune, USA Today, People and “Extra” immediately sparked additional national coverage.

On January 18, top-tier media and influencers were invited to join Lochte in the pool for a workout, followed by one-on-one interviews. Lochte shared his Clean Start pledge to “swim faster,” motivating thousands of consumers to make their own pledge and try PowerBar’s latest offering.

Following the event, the PR team used Clean Start survey findings to continue aggressive outreach to key lifestyle, health & fitness, sports and trade media across broadcast, print and online mediums. The team also pitched behind-the-scenes imagery of Lochte to entertainment media, reaching a new audience for PowerBar.

Reach:

To date, the PR outreach drove 800MM earned impressions via 175 placements. This accounts for 90 percent of the campaign’s total reach.

Engagement:

The impressions drove 545,000 visits to PowerBarCleanStart.com and resulted in almost 125,000 Clean Start Pledges. On launch day, the PowerBar Clean Start microsite garnered three times the traffic in one day as PowerBar.com typically sees in an entire month.

Impact:

Beyond the impressions and engagement, the campaign has had a tangible impact for the brand:

Amongst exposed audiences: 

- 59% of consumers felt more positively about the brand after being exposed to campaign messaging

- A majority of consumers (51%) overwhelmingly think PowerBar is seeing their best days today

Most importantly, the sales impact was felt immediately – up three times the baseline!

In comparing the average sales for three weeks after the Clean Start campaign launch to the average sales of PowerBar for three weeks prior to the Lochte-centered campaign:

- In xAOC (including Convenience), average weekly sales increased by 55%, and velocities increased by 21%

- In Food, average weekly sales have increased by 62%, and velocities have increased by 26%