Country Crossover

Sports drink companies are taking the battle for market share to the music industry.

BodyArmor inked an equity deal with Carrie Underwood. It’s not a far-fetched move for the Grammy-winning country singer, who also has an apparel line with Dick’s Sporting Goods and has launched her own fitness app, fit52. 

Underwood joined James Harden in the first TV campaign for the company’s BodyArmor Lyte brand — which debuted last night during “The Bachelor.” She will also help advertise the SportWater product as the company looks to broaden its appeal. 

The move comes as sports drink companies are lining up to take on Gatorade’s 70% market share.

• BodyArmor: Equity partners now include Underwood, Harden, Dustin Johnson, Mike Trout, Naomi Osaka and Megan Rapinoe. 
• BioSteel: Equity partners include Patrick Mahomes, Connor McDavid and Gleyber Torres. The company also signed deals with four NBA teams this offseason.
• Gatorade: Recent signees Fernando Tatís Jr., Damian Lillard and Matthew Wolff join a star-studded roster that already includes Peyton Manning, Bryce Harper and Serena Williams.
• Ready Nutrition: Investors include Giannis Antetokounmpo and Aaron Donald.

It’s not all about star power, however, as the new brand entries are also pushing Gatorade to expand its product offerings to include trendy ingredients like collagen and antioxidants.

What’s behind the transformation? BodyArmor President Brent Hastie likens the category’s evolution to that of Starbucks and coffee: “We’re premium, but that doesn’t mean I want to be a niche brand, we want to reinvent the category.”