NBA Star Plays in Powerade Loyalty Program

National Basketball Association superstar LeBron James is serving up points at the center of Powerade’s new loyalty program called Powerade Athletic Club.

The program lives on Us.powerade.com where an animated character of LeBron invites fans to join the beverage maker’s club, collect codes from specially marked Powerade products and redeem Powerade Athletic Club points for a variety of prizes, including LeBron James exclusive content, gear, autographed collectibles, video games and more.

Caps of specially marked 20-ounce bottles of Powerade and Powerade Option and 16-ounce bottles of Advance by Powerade carry the codes, which can be credited to members’ accounts by entering the code directly on the Web site or sending a text message to “PWRAD.” With five caps, consumers can begin claiming prizes.

In 2004, Powerade, a Coca-Cola brand, and DC Comics created a superhero persona of LeBron James with a print edition King James comic. As a result, points from the loyalty program can be redeemed for King James comic artwork and life-size King James standees through December. Autographed NBA jerseys, drag racing console games, snowboards, ringtones, wallpapers and race tickets to the National Hot Rod Association events are also among the reward offerings.

“The world of sports is changing around us,” said Racquel Mason, director of marketing for sports and energy drinks, Coca-Cola, in a statement. “Consumers participate in a variety of sports in a variety of ways, all driven by their passion for the game. This insight fueled our decision to build the Powerade Athletic Club—a unique loyalty program that defies convention.”

Powerade has also launched a Meet the King sweeps that will reward one grand-prize winner with a trip to New York City to meet LeBron and tour DC Comics headquarters. Consumers can register online at Us.powerade.com through June 30. In addition, 23 instant-win prizes will be awarded every day through June 30, including autographed basketball jerseys and basketball hoops. Consumers can watch King James webisodes on the Web site and play an interactive free-throw basketball game.

The loyalty program marks the first time that an athlete’s likeness (that of James) appears on bottles of Powerade flavors in the U.S.

In-store P-O-P, print and digital advertising and event activation support the loyalty program.

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