Dive Brief:
- Mountain Dew will return for a second year as one of the top sponsors for the upcoming DR1 international drone racing competition, according to a press release by the racing organization made available to Marketing Dive.
- The competition, named the DHL Champions Series fueled by Mountain Dew, is between five teams in six races around the world, including the Mojave Bone Yard in California and Ireland's historic Bunowen Castle on Spike Island.
- Mountain Dew aims to get exposure via broadcast and streamed races in October and November through Eurosport, Fox Sports Asia, Twitch.TV and a North American partner not yet announced, per the press release. The soda brand is also sponsoring top British drone racer Luke Bannister.
Dive Insight:
As a youth-oriented brand, Mountain Dew hasn't shied away from getting into new adventure sports early on. By hitching its name not only to the series itself, but also Bannister — who's been regarded as one of the best drone pilots in the world, per the release — Mountain Dew is making a pretty big splash in professional drone racing. And given the media partnerships the league has in place, it will also likely gain significant international exposure.
Mountain Dew, which is owned by PepsiCo, has a strong presence as a sponsor of sporting events, supporting NASCAR races and athletes like Dale Earnhardt, Jr., so diving into the relatively new space of drone competitions appears to be a good match.
Other initiatives from Mountain Dew this year include a multi-channel push during the NBA All-Star weekend in February with both digital and on-site elements, a free music festival that ran alongside the popular Coachella Music Festival in California and a cheeky infomercial starring Earnhardt, Jr. to promote a limited edition "DEW-S-A" flavor that combined its red, white and blue drinks into one package.
