2 Years After Kobe Bryant’s Estate Netted Massive Profits, Bodyarmor Sees ‘Concerning’ Dip in Sales

Bodyarmor, the drinks brand now owned by Coca-Cola, made a huge move when they brought in Kobe Bryant as an endorser. Known for his hard work and energy on the court, Kobe was the perfect face for the marketing operation of the brand. In 2021, the Black Mamba’s association with the company saw his estate net a whopping $400,000,000 after Coca-Cola bought 70% of the company.

However, two years later, sales have reportedly faltered for the company. According to a post made by the Boardroom on Instagram, Bodyarmor sales are down 10.6% in 2023.

In 2014, Kobe made a sizeable investment in Bodyarmor. Dropping a cool $6,000,000, Bryant was confident that the company would grow to do big things. And he was right on the money, when in 2018, Coca-Cola purchased a 15% stake in the company, before completing a full takeover in late 2021.

Bodyarmor sales take massive hit after Bryant’s untimely passing

Recently, the Boardroom shared a post on social media covering the best-selling sports drinks of 2023. The list featured some of the biggest names in the game, including Gatorade, Powerade, Electrolit, the newcomers Prime, and of course, Bodyarmor. However, the list also showed the year-on-year change in sales, and things aren’t looking good for some of them.

In particular, Bodyarmor has suffered the most when compared to their sales the previous year. Despite being ranked second on the list in terms of dollar sales with $1,400,000,000, they are down 10.6% compared to last year. This has allowed their competitors, like Gatorade and Prime to both creep up behind them.

One reason they may be suffering such a dip is the end of their association with Kobe Bryant two years ago. Till 2021, the Black Mamba’s Estate was a stakeholder in the company. It was during his endorsement of the brand that they saw their greatest growth. But, after being bought by Coca-Cola, they lost the public backing of one of the greatest athletes of all time, which certainly was a huge blow.

 

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With the sports drink environment growing more and more competitive each day, Bodyarmor may find it difficult to keep up with its competitors. As things stand, their pool of athlete endorsers consists of many big names, including Joe Burrow and Donovan Mitchell. However, if they hope to stay afloat, they will need to up their game.