GNC fuels everyday workout routines for March Madness tie-up

Dive Brief:

Health and wellness brand GNC will appear in an episode of Team Whistle’s “No Days Off” YouTube series, Marketing Dive can exclusively share. The partnership with the sports and entertainment company is timed to March Madness.
The episode premiering March 13 features college basketball star Armando Bacot, forward for the North Carolina Tar Heels, promoting GNC’s Pro Performance products as part of his post-workout routine.
Snackable social segments spanning TikTok, Instagram and Facebook Reels, Snapchat and YouTube Shorts help promote the content. The move makes GNC one of the latest brands to collaborate with Team Whistle in hopes of tapping into sports hype.

Dive Insight:

Just in time for the March Madness basketball tournament, GNC is asserting itself as the go-to brand for sports nutrition via a tie-up with Team Whistle. Other marketers have sought to align themselves with the marquee college sporting event this month, including Marriott Bonvoy and the recently launched Gatorade Water.

GNC featuring in “No Days Off,” a series that has accumulated 7.1 billion lifetime global views, could help the marketer reach both athletes and sports fans alike and up its chances of connecting with digitally driven consumers. The March 13 episode starring North Carolina Tar Heels’ Bacot will follow the athlete as he heads to the gym to train while showcasing GNC’s Pro Performance offerings. The content is meant to portray GNC’s products as an enhancement to the everyday lives of athletes, regardless of their sport or skill level, Lauren Mannetti, GNC’s vice president of marketing, explained in a statement.

Additional content on social media featuring Bacot will round out the collaboration. In one segment, “My Top Five,” the athlete promotes GNC while detailing the top five products he swears by to help reach his daily protein goals. Another segment, “Day in the Life,” sees Bacot detailing his day while educating viewers on how products from GNC help optimize his performance.

“Whistle’s expertise is to create social content that resonates in culture around big tentpole moments like March Madness,” said Hanna Work, director of brand partnerships at Team Whistle, in a statement shared with Marketing Dive. “We specialize in naturally connecting brands with relevant talent, like Armando Bacot, while naturally weaving in their core product and messaging throughout our storylines.”

Team Whistle, a DAZN Group company, has partnered with other marketers beyond GNC. In January, the company worked with dishwasher detergent brand Finish for two culinary face-off episodes of its “Home Team” series ahead of Super Bowl LVIII. In December, Team Whistle partnered with State Farm, also around its “Home Team” series, to promote the insurance company’s Personal Price Plan. The company also collaborated with DirecTV Stream for a social media takeover ahead of football season.