Dive Brief:

• Clif Bar is launching a new brand platform and integrated marketing campaign that targets runners, bikers and other athletes while highlighting new products, such as a cookies and creme energy bar, according to a press release.
• The effort, “Raise Your Bar,” includes a series of digital ads debuting Feb. 3 that show athletes embracing challenges like enjoying an outdoor run despite getting caught in the rain. The video content serves as an awareness-building runway for additional influencer and platform partnerships. 
• Among those tie-ups is an extension of a collaboration with the fitness app Strava, which will post co-branded content, event activations and themed challenges around “Raise Your Bar.” Clif Bar is part of parent Mondelez International’s push to own the growing protein bar market.

Dive Insight:

Clif Bar is highlighting the rough edges and rich rewards of an active lifestyle with “Raise Your Bar,” which doubles as an integrated marketing campaign and broader brand platform. The snack marketer, which was acquired by Mondelez for nearly $3 billion in 2022, operates in a protein and energy bar category that has seen a rush of new entrants trying to capitalize on U.S. consumers’ larger appetites for activities like running clubs and weight lifting. 

Ads featured in “Raise Your Bar” show athletes and outdoor enthusiasts pushing through challenges like inclement weather and fatigue to achieve individual growth while spotlighting Clif Bar’s latest product innovations, including a cookies and creme energy bar that carries 11 grams of plant-based protein. The campaign media plan spans Meta, Google Display, YouTube, YouTube TV, Amazon Prime Video and The Trade Desk, along with athlete ambassadors and platform partnerships.

Linking with Strava on co-branded content, events and fitness challenges could help Clif Bar reach its target audience as they’re working out and seeking to refuel. Other brands have tapped into Strava for similar activations. Chipotle for the second year in a row worked with Strava on customized running route segments timed to the new year that doled out rewards to top-performing users and cities. 

Thematically, “Raise Your Bar” echoes other ad campaigns that celebrate the grit required to succeed as an athlete. Nike last fall released its latest running campaign, “Winning isn’t for Everyone,” that similarly shows people pushing through miserable weather and physical exhaustion to hit their goals. 

“Raise Your Bar” follows an integrated campaign Clif Bar debuted in May, “The Most Important Ingredient is You,” which starred athletes including Frances Tiafoe, Sophia Smith and Breanna Stewart. Clif Bar in 2023 appointed David New York as its creative agency of record.