Critical Thinking Case
Celebrity Brand Endorsements
Coca-Cola now distributes Monster Energy drinks as part of its partnership with Monster Beverage, PepsiCo markets energy drinks under its Rockstar brand (acquired in 2020) and Mountain Dew Amp Energy, and smaller companies are challenging the soft drink giants with products such as Bang Energy, Bloom Energy Drinks, and Liquid IV. With concerns about the amount of sugar in soft drinks and the negative health effects that can cause, brands such as Vitaminwater and Bai have garnered significant market share and have been acquired by soft drink companies such as Coca-Cola (Vitaminwater, 2007) and Keurig Dr Pepper (Bai, 2017).
The person behind the success of Powerade, Vitaminwater, and Bai is Rohan Oza, now co-founder and managing partner of CAVU Consumer Partners. After graduating from the University of Michigan’s business school, Oza began working at Coca Cola, where he worked on brands such as Sprite and Powerade. After Oza left Coca Cola for more entrepreneurial challenges, he scored a coup with Smartwater, where he was able to approach Jennifer Aniston to become the endorser of the product. Rapper 50 Cent was an early endorser of Vitaminwater (2004–2009), taking equity instead of cash and earning an estimated $100 million when Coca-Cola acquired the brand in 2007.
Oza did not stop after the Vitaminwater success. Ben Weiss founded Bai in 2009, building it into one of the fastest-growing beverage brands. Marketing executive Oza helped orchestrate celebrity partnerships, including bringing in Justin Timberlake as an investor and Chief Flavor Officer in 2016, shortly before Dr Pepper Snapple acquired the company for $1.7 billion. Just as he did with Jennifer Aniston and Smartwater, and with 50 Cent and Vitaminwater, Oza works on making sure that he has the correct strategy to match the features and benefits of the brand with just the right celebrity endorser. With Bai, a sparkling drink that features antioxidants as a product benefit, Oza was able to convince Timberlake, an entrepreneur in his own right, to invest in Bai. So Timberlake was not only an endorser but a part owner, and he has been intimately involved in the brand strategy. This partnership worked as well, because Bai was sold to the Dr Pepper Snapple Group for $1.7 billion in 2016.
- Oza has established several successful products in the competitive beverage industry. Why has he been able to achieve this success when large organizations with more resources, such as Coca Cola and Pepsi, are forced to buy these new successful brands?
- What types of unique marketing support helped to sustain Vitaminwater and Bai’s tremendous growth?
- Suggest a celebrity endorsement with a beverage brand, and tell why that pairing would lead to success. What are the brand attributes and the reputation of the endorser that would resonate with specific consumer segments?
Sources: John Lynch, “Hollywood’s ‘Brandfather’ Talks About His New Role on ‘Shark Tank,’ Working with 50 Cent and Justin Timberlake,” Business Insider, https://www.businessinsider.com, October 1, 2017; Heidi Parker, “She Has Great Ideas and Is Savvy,” The Daily Mail, https://www.dailymail.co.uk, September 17, 2017; Katie Benner, “He’d Like to Buy the World Something Other Than a Coke,” The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com, January 6, 2017; "smartwater® and Jennifer Aniston Reunite for 2025 Campaign," The Coca-Cola Company, https://www.coca-colacompany.com, June 17, 2025; Kimberly Wilson, "From Rap Icon To Mogul: How 50 Cent Became One Of Hollywood’s Most Strategic Power Players," Essence, https://www.essence.com, December 8, 2025.