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The Challenge:

Develop performance marketing for Ladder, a premium sports nutrition company founded by Arnold Schwarzenegger and LeBron James. The brand needed to establish credibility in the competitive supplements market while leveraging its high-profile founders and professional athlete partnerships effectively.

 

The Approach:

As Senior Creative Director collaborating with JD&Co Agency and BODi Creative teams, I developed authentic athlete storytelling featuring professional athletes to demonstrate real-world application.

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Clean Performance Positioning:

• Positioned Ladder as the trusted choice of 50+ professional sports teams

• Emphasized NSF Certification for Sport® as a key trust differentiator

• Crafted messaging around "what you put into your body matters"

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Strategic Social Media Execution & Storytelling:

• Developed content that balanced product education with lifestyle integration

• Created campaign-specific hashtags (#weareladder) to build community

• Implemented tactical promotions (e.g., "No off-season, always on with LADDER")

• Utilized athlete milestones and sporting events for timely, relevant content

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The Results:

The campaign successfully:

• Established Ladder as a premium player in the sports nutrition space

• Created authentic connections between professional athletes and the brand

• Developed a consistent voice that balanced scientific credibility with aspirational messaging

• Built a foundation for sustainable growth through performance marketing channels

 

Key Insights:

The success of Ladder's marketing demonstrated that even in a saturated supplements market, authentic athlete endorsement combined with scientific credibility creates powerful differentiation. By focusing on how the products integrate into an athlete's process rather than just the end results, we created more meaningful connections with the audience.