Muscle Milk Is for Stephen Curry and the Rest of Us

Muscle Milk is showcasing its connection with NBA superstar Stephen Curry while trying to forge connections with more everyday athletes in a "Stronger Every Day" message that breaks Tuesday.
Mr. Curry, of course, helped lead the Golden State Warriors to last year's NBA title and break the league's regular season record this season with 73 wins. He has endorsed Muscle Milk since 2013, and is a face for Under Armour and other brands.
Now he stars in Muscle Milk's biggest campaign yet, along with non-famous athletes doing yoga, running, dancing and playing football.
"We definitely wanted to not just speak to the hard core athletes," said Tommy Means, founder and executive creative director at Mekanism, Muscle Milk's creative agency, but also "speak to everyday athletes." The idea of wanting to get a little bit "stronger every day" resonates with both groups, he said.
Muscle Milk wants to celebrate performance and athleticism while bringing more women to the brand, said Nikki Brown, chief marketing officer at CytoSport, which makes Muscle Milk and was bought by Hormel Foods in 2014.
"The goal for us is to make the Muscle Milk brand more approachable," Ms. Brown said.
For now, Mr. Curry is the only professional athlete starring in the campaign, but it is possible others will appear in future rounds, she said.
The brand's big push also includes new products, such as smoothies made with Greek yogurt and organic options, along with updated packaging and a new look online. "We want our brand to be synonymous with protein," said CytoSport President -CEO Greg Longstreet.
The campaign includes 15-second, 30-second and 60-second commercials. The focus of the push is TV, along with digital, social, print and some radio in certain markets. In addition to Mekanism, Muscle Milk works with Haworth on media buying and Laundry Serviceworking on digital and social elements.
This article originally appeared at AdAge.com.