NBA Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade and his son Zaire are the stars of Thorne’s Build to Last campaign underscoring that there are “no shortcuts” to lifelong wellness.
The campaign unveiled Tuesday features the father-son duo sharing their respective paths to excelling at basketball and how Thorne’s nutritional supplement products have assisted in that process.
The two also have their own personal collections available on Thorne’s website in addition to a blog detailing their health and wellness journeys.
Additionally, the Wades were featured in a 30-second spot, produced by global creative agency Buck, supporting Build to Last.
There are two 30-second spots included in the campaign as well as three 15-second videos across digital out-of-home, connected TV, display, paid search, YouTube, social media and influencer marketing across 12 markets until mid-October.
In addition to the Wades, Thorne has worked with other athletes like Jrue Holiday, Noah Syndergaard and Daniel Ricciardo on brand partnerships.
Thorne’s chief marketing officer Michelle Crow told MM+M that the Wades were already using the company’s products when Thorne approached them about a partnership that would ultimately become Build to Last.
Crow added that a key aspect of Thorne’s value proposition and differentiator in the increasingly saturated supplements market is the long-term approach to wellness and physical endurance.
“This campaign highlights that as a health and wellness company rooted in personalization and credible scientific rigor, we know that health is an investment that builds over time,” she said. “Growing into our best selves is ultimately a long game that starts with small choices we make every day – which includes what we put into our bodies.”
Ensuring that dietary and sports supplements are safe and effective for athletes has long been a discussion topic, but that has come into sharper focus recently.
A study published in JAMA earlier this month found a large portion of sports and dietary supplements may be misleading when it comes to labeling their ingredients.
Notably, researchers found that 89% of dietary supplements examined didn’t accurately label the ingredients in the products and up to 12% were made up of ingredients that are prohibited by the Food and Drug Administration.
Joel Totoro, director of sports science at Thorne, said there has been a recent shift in consumer preferences in the supplements space away from protein powders, amino acids and creatin to vitamins, mineral status and hydration. He said plant-based diets and vegan lifestyles have influenced the market, too.
He also pointed to a few areas of improvement for the sports supplement industry, including ‘redefining performance,’ quality control, transparency and labeling, research and efficacy as well as sustainability.
