Dive Brief:

• Gopuff has struck a multiyear partnership deal with Tom Brady, adding to a larger brand-building push from the ultra-fast delivery company, according to a press release.  
• The recent NFL Hall of Fame inductee, who was already an investor, will aid with content creation, product development and other initiatives. Brady is curating a new health and wellness category on Gopuff and Brady Bag collections themed around specific events.
• The celebrity tie-up follows the debut of Gopuff’s largest national ad campaign to date in April, part of its “next chapter.” The company, which flourished at the height of the pandemic, has struggled with several rounds of layoffs as demand for delivery services has cooled.

Dive Insight:

Gopuff continues to expand its brand-building efforts through the pact with Brady, one of the most iconic NFL quarterbacks and an investor in the privately held company. The addition of the celebrity athlete as partner sees the ultra-fast delivery service pushing harder into health and wellness, a vertical that will now have its own category on the Gopuff app and website selling goods such as Brady’s Nobull training shoes and plant-based nutrition line TB12. 

For Brady, the deal presents an opportunity to promote his own brands to a wider audience, as well as work with Gopuff on future launches that will be exclusive to the platform’s shoppers. Brady is also helping introduce Gopuff’s first celebrity tote bag and collection, part of Gopuff’s offering of prefab orders that come with a variety of products tailored to specific occasions or interests. A previously available bag created with the streamer Ninja is targeted at gamers and features snacks like Sour Patch Kids and Reese’s. 

In addition, Gopuff will act as the official instant delivery partner of Team Brady’s E1 electric powerboat racing team. Brady will assist with the development of Gopuff content, though the extent to which he will be involved with paid advertising wasn’t immediately clear.

Gopuff has been marketing itself more aggressively on the tails of rolling out “Bring The Magic” earlier in the spring. The campaign, made with Mother New York, depicts the joy of getting a delivery at the right time, with a spotlight on the company’s brown bags as a piece of iconography. 

Around the same time, Gopuff implemented 20-minute delivery options as part of its subscription membership plan and ramped up its grocery partnerships, along with bowing a business-to-business arm aimed at direct-to-consumer brands. But it has continued to contend with headwinds, recently laying off 6% of staff as it strives to reach profitability this year, The Information reported.