Earlier this week, video of Odell Beckham Jr. was making the rounds after the Giants wideout went all Happy Gilmore on the softball field. Tucked away on home plate was a bottle of his signature line of ROAR (don’t call it an “Energy Drink”) Performance Drink.
Image: ROAR Performance DrinksWe were less interested in the product placement and more interested in the company and its partnership with Beckham, so we caught up with ROAR CEO Roly Nesi.
A self proclaimed “life-long Gatorade drinker” without an unkind word to say about the sports drink giant, Nesi attributes the industry itself to the foundation Gatorade laid.
“What they did with this business is the reason I even exist. Ever since they laid the groundwork, everyone’s tried to duplicate what they did, be it with a formula or different athlete endorsing the product,” Nesi told me.
ROAR CEO Roly Nesi with Odell Beckham Jr. Image: ROARDespite the solid groundwork, as a guy leaning towards extreme sports and ones growing in popularity like lacrosse, Nesi saw little movement in the marketplace when it came to really hitting younger demos. Drinks that were hitting that demo included the likes of Monster, Red Bull and Mountain Dew. The commonality amongst them is that they are lifestyle beverages, but definitely not ones you’d associate with high-performance sports. Frankly, they are downright unhealthy.
“I thought there was a huge niche to really create a lifestyle brand that gave you the look and the feel and the attitude of a Monster Energy Drink, catering to a young customer who wants something that matches his Jordans, his bike and his self expression,” said Nesi. He added that sports apparel and equipment have become highly accessorized and personalized like never before, and that he was looking to emulate that youthfulness in the sports drink arena.
While the packaging and marketing scream energy drink, and its contents are primarily a sports drink, ROAR is unique in that it’s healthier than not just the Monsters of the world, but also the Gatorades, being coconut water-based and with 25% less sugar than sports traditional drinks.
“ROAR was formed to be loud and young, but at the same time delicious and healthy.”
It is a fine line focusing on both style and substance, and while the former is a primary focus of the company, the latter is allowing it to not only differentiate itself in a loud marketplace, but also avoid red tape in getting into hands of it key 8-18 year old demographic.
Because its ROAR Lite offering is USDA Smart Snack approved, it is available in 1,500 high schools across the country. Translation: ROAR can get into schools despite Michelle Obama’s initiatives to make kids hate lunch.
“We didn’t want to convert 30-year-old lifelong Gatorade drinkers; we are looking to develop a young generation of ROAR customers. I think the brand is very authentic. So, when we launched, kid’s immediately gravitated to it.
“If you look at the way the product and the packaging has evolved, we’ve really started to incorporate the health message into it. It’s tough. You can’t go too hard on one end and then create customer confusion, but we’ve been very successful up to date.”
With an organic line debuting in summer, and with it the likelihood of appealing to a different, slightly more health- (as opposed to image) conscience group, ROAR is poised to for rapid growth.
“We wanted to be the Monster of sports drinks, but when we got in there, we realized that it wasn’t just kids that wanted another option. Young adults don’t want to drink water when they go to the gym, and they definitely don’t want to drink Gatorade, but the options beyond that are limited.”
While the market is expanding, Nesi notes that newcomers either lack either flavor or a coolness factor to hit the right audiences. If they can create an organic product that matches a health nut’s Lululemon pants the way their original products match a kid’s J’s, that works for him.
Expansion is happening, but ROAR continues to focus primarily on that original product, expanding its offerings from 3 to 8 flavors, and pushing their relationship with Beckham, who Nesi calls the “coolest athlete in America.”
“We didn’t sign him just because he catches footballs, we signed him because of his tattoos and his hairstyle and his dancing. He looks like a ROAR guy. He goes outside the box. When I see him, I see this generation.”
While Gatorade might have paved the way for future sports drinks, vitaminwater was the one that seems to have done so for athlete sponsorships and endorsements.
“The 50 Cent deal was probably how I got Odell to sign. If it weren’t for that 50 Cent deal, all these athletes would sign with Gatorade and Powerade and take the quick paycheck. Being able to reference that [deal] and say, ‘look this is a unique product, we aren’t as big as them, we can’t offer you the same immediate advertising, but you can get equity in this brand, allow you to invest in this brand, be a partner, and do something that hasn’t been done.'”
The difference between 50’s deal and Beckham’s – and where Nesi sees added value – is the omnipresence of social media that wasn’t as prevalent when vitaminwater was locking in the rapper. They were more reliant on traditional marketing. With Beckham, he sees the opportunity to hit his target directly with an invested ambassador on platforms where they live and breathe (at least virtually).
And right now, ROAR has no plans to add additional athletes to its stable. So, in what should be music to any pro’s ears, Beckham doesn’t have to share the spotlight or marketing dollars with another player.
Said Nesi, “I don’t have to explain who [Beckham] is to you. You either like him or you hate him, but you know about him. That’s why he’s so unique. I don’t think there’s many athletes like that out there right now. NFL athletes are white bread; same in the NBA space.”
If they did expand their roster, Nesi is looking at athletes that are already brands; brands like Justin Beiber and Neymar. He wants the ROAR platform to be a platform for these types of guys to showcase their uniqueness, not vice versa. It’s as much give as it is take.
“It’s what makes these guys good. Odell is impossible to work with on social because he is so paranoid. He doesn’t want his timeline to become a billboard for other brands. If you look on his Instagram, you will not find him endorse another consumer product, really, with the exception of ROAR.”
To encourage that authenticity, ROAR turned the entire direction of the line over to Beckham – from flavor to its original packaging. They gave him ownership of the product and allowed it to become an extension of Beckham’s personality.
“Don’t just endorse it, let’s make a product that lives in your image.”
Because of the play they are getting whenever Beckham mentions ROAR, the partnership is evolving. The new bottle (which subtly debuted on the softball diamond) is the third look in just eight months. ROAR is purposefully doing limited edition runs.
As they move forward with, among other things a television commercial, the focus is as much about Beckham off the field as on. Partially this is due to sponsorship rights for the Giants and the NFL, but with a recognizable persona like Beckham’s, it’s just as valuable to shoot him without his jersey and helmet.
“I’m so sick of sports drinks ads that are ‘Just Do It’ and Nike-like. We want something that is a little more fun.”
ROAR seems to respect and build upon the things that have been done by its brand and marketing predecessors, but isn’t content doing what’s always been done. That’s good for them, and for athletes.