Powerade has defended female athletes in the wake of a contentious Sydney Sweeney ad for US sports trading platform Novig.
Over the weekend, the Coca-Cola sports beverage brand ran an ad in New York’s Times Square with the message “Never Just Sports” — a clear answer to Novig’s “just” sports creative that featured raunchy images of the Hollywood actor.
The Powerade ads were created by Ogilvy, and features footage of real life woman athletes completing incredible sporting feats.
Powerade has a long history of backing female athletes; its ambassadors have included the likes of Matildas star Sam Kerr, legendary gymnast Simone Biles and Aussie fitness entrepreneur Kayla Itsines.
Novig’s controversial campaign, which first launched in early September, received backlash from women in sport including four-time Australian Olympic swimming champion Ariarne Titmus, British Olympic cycling champion Sophie Capewell, Australian water polo Olympian
Tilly Kearns, British sprinter Amy Hunt and former US gymnast Gracie Kramer.
Others to criticise the work include Australian Olympians Lani Pallister, Bree Masters, Lauren Ryan and Liz Clay and world champion boxer Skye Nicolson.
Novig, which has since run a second iteration of the campaign, claims that first-time depositors on its platform have risen by more than 218 per cent in the 20 days surrounding the 9 September launch.
