Creator data provider DAIVID and Kinetiq, the leading AI-powered platform for global media and marketing intelligence, today (10th April, 2026) released new analysis of sports drink advertising across the 2025 and 2026 NCAA Men’s and Women’s March Madness tournaments, marking Coca-Cola’s first shift in official NCAA sponsorship from POWERADE to BODYARMOR in more than 15 years.

The move is part of Coca-Cola’s broader effort to scale BODYARMOR, a premium, "better-for-you" sports drink it fully acquired for USD$5.6bn (£4.2bn), as it looks to gain ground against Gatorade. Kinetiq’s data shows the switch wasn’t just a brand change – it was a strategic reset.

BODYARMOR ads ran 55% more often during the tournament than POWERADE did the year before. The shift was most pronounced in the men’s tournament, where BODYARMOR drove a 71% increase in ad airings alongside a 33% increase in creative volume. Average airings per creative also rose from 26 to 33.3, signaling a clear move toward higher-frequency execution.

That more concentrated approach translated into stronger category dominance. BODYARMOR accounted for 68% of detected sports drink advertising in the men’s tournament, up from 61% for POWERADE the previous year, indicating a larger share of in-market sports drink messaging during gameplay.

Notably, BODYARMOR’s investment was almost entirely concentrated in the men’s tournament, with little to no measurable presence in the women’s tournament. While POWERADE also skewed toward the men’s tournament in 2025, it maintained at least some cross-tournament presence. In contrast, BODYARMOR’s 2026 strategy reflects a more deliberate focus on dominating a single, high-scale environment.

"BODYARMOR showed up differently," said Kevin Kohn, CEO of Kinetiq. "What we’re seeing is a shift from Coca-Cola maintaining presence across the tournament to concentrating investment where it can drive the most impact: higher frequency, stronger share, and clearer category leadership."

To evaluate whether that increased presence translated into performance, Kinetiq partnered with DAIVID to assess the creative effectiveness of sports drink ads across both years.

Findings include:

• More mouth-watering: The switch to BODYARMOR resulted in more intense cravings among viewers – a key signal for purchase consideration. BODYARMOR ads were 49% more likely to make viewers’ mouths water than POWERADE’s and 79% higher than the average ad. 
• Higher trust: BODYARMOR’s ads were also 26% more likely to drive trust than POWERADE’s ads, suggesting its "better-for-you" positioning is resonating.

Ian Forrester, CEO and founder of DAIVID, said: "BODYARMOR’s ads didn’t just appear more often, they were more effective. The ads not only drove stronger craving, but also higher trust and better brand recall, showing that increased presence paired with smart creative can deliver measurable results."

For complete analysis, category benchmarks or custom reports, contact videoadtrends@kinetiq.tv.