The supplement shot brand offers internships to athletes in its NIL program, and its campaign with the former NFL star reached 20 million consumers and lifted sales of its Focus and Sleep shots.
Supplement shots brand Ryde has an extra-credit bonus to its name, image and likeness program: an internship.
After a 2021 Supreme Court ruling, college athletes can now use their name, image and likeness to earn money to become content creators and accept sponsorships. Many brands have flooded athletes at high-profile universities playing in popular sports, such as football and basketball, with marketing deals.
But Ryde has taken a different tack to its NIL program, said Andre Denischuck, General Manager, Wellness and Stimulation USA, at Ryde. The brand, which makes 2-ounce wellness shots called Energize, Focus, Relax and Sleep, has a campus ambassador program in Texas, where it is based. Baylor University noticed its athletes participating in the program and contacted Ryde about NIL discussions.
“After speaking with athletic directors around the country, it was clear and evident that a lot of these athletes aren’t going to go on to become professional athletes. The percentage is very low,” Denischuck said. “We thought it would be a great opportunity for us to help give back to the institution and provide internships to some of the NIL students that we sign on our roster.”
Ryde Invests in Student Athletes
In fall 2025, Ryde had junior- and senior-year students work in its activation, operations and social media departments so they could learn more about the industry. The brand made an effort to match the students’ tasks to the degrees they were pursuing, such as integrating them into strategy meetings about communication with target markets or increasing operational efficiencies.
Ryde also hosted educational modules that it invited other student athletes to attend. Topics included tips on how student athletes should conduct themselves on social media and how to select brand deals that align with personal values.
The target market for Ryde’s products is 18- to 44-year-olds, and this program reaches that audience as they are getting ready to enter the workforce, Denischuck said. Ryde plans to offer the internship program again this school year.
Ryde Taps Rob Gronkowski for Latest Campaign
Athletes as content creators are a key part of Ryde’s microinfluencer program. It also works with high-profile celebrities, such as TV personality Heidi Montag and, most recently, former National Football League player Rob Gronkowski.
In June 2026, Gronkowski began promoting Ryde’s Focus shot and its Sleep shot as part of the brand’s “Drink Ryde: It Works” campaign.
Ryde’s public relations vendor Autumn Communications introduced Gronkowski to the brand. He was a good fit because of his credibility and because his personality fits the tone of Ryde: He doesn’t take himself too seriously but still performs. What’s more, Gronkowski could greatly increase Ryde’s brand awareness, Denischuck said.
It took about 90 days to produce the campaign. Ryde and Gronkowski collaborated on the scripts to show how the athlete would use the products in his own life. During the shoot, Gronkowski went off script with his own ad-libs. The goal was to ensure the spots felt authentic and not too much like an advertisement, Denischuck said.
“It’s about giving him the overall strategy of what the product’s looking to deliver and build a partnership as opposed to this is what you need to say,” Denischuck said. “It’s important to give the creative flexibility for individuals to express themselves on the communication platform that they use.”
Campaign Results
Ryde views the campaign, which ran June through August, as a success, Denischuck said. The campaign had roughly 661 million impressions from public relations, 1,700 media placements in the U.S., 44 million social impressions, 23 million video views and 20 million consumers reached, he said. Plus, Gronkowski represented Ryde during interviews with Fox Business, Sports Illustrated and Men’s Journal.
“Very successful from our end and from an objective standpoint, the awareness helped us gain momentum in the market,” he said.
Ryde is in the midst of a brand lift study to measure the campaign’s impact. It is aiming for a substantial increase in awareness, anywhere from a mid-single-digit to double-digit percentage increase, he said.
Sales have also increased for those two products, Focus and Sleep, which it can see from online sales, Denischuck said, without revealing more.
