If Simone Biles can’t assure athletes it’s OK to take a time-out from the grind of practice and competition to focus on their well-being, maybe no one can.

Citing mental-health issues, the champion gymnast famously skipped some events at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Now, Biles joins other sports greats for a Powerade initiative touting self-care, rest and reflection as essential to winning, both on and off the playing field.

Developed by Publicis Groupe and timed to March Madness, “Pause Is Power” rocks a lighthearted vibe that helps deliver its serious message in breezy style.

We open on Premier League soccer coach Antonio Conte, who kicks back in a comfy recliner, telling his players, “We are missing pauses.” They think he means “passes,” but Conte makes his point in the end:

As the :60, directed by Stink Films’ Traktor, unfolds, British gold-medalist diver Tom Daley and his squad do some knitting to unwind. A football squad takes a break with a rainy-day ballet, and former NBA standouts Chris Webber and Jason Williams pause on a pickup court to celebrate their mad shot making.

Conte’s a hoot, and he pops up to knit a sweater with Daley. No stranger to steals, Antonio almost upstages Biles—but not quite.

She shines by bailing on her stressful day and heading out for a manicure. “Sometimes, you gotta stop to be an actual human,” she explains to a goat seated next to her in the salon. (Think G.O.A.T., people.)

Simone gets the last word, too, sweetly encouraging a fledgling gymnast after the kid stumbles mid-routine. “You’ll get it tomorrow,” Biles says. Such simple wisdom puts everything in perspective.

“We push ourselves hard physically and emotionally to achieve our dreams but if we are not our best mentally, then we are not maximizing our full potential,” Biles says in a blog post. “I want to help encourage everybody to be kinder to themselves, because that’s when we’re at our strongest and we can achieve the most.”

Coca-Cola-owned Powerade also launched a Press Pause Contest, with 20 grand prizes of $10,000 each to help student athletes recharge in the off-season.

That aspect recalls Arby’s contest for college running backs, but a brand rep says this campaign “goes beyond NCAA NIL. Today’s generation of athletes is rewriting the rules of winning and pushing back on the toxic sports culture perpetuated by a ‘win at all costs’ mentality. In pausing to be human first, we come back stronger than we were before. We believe it’s a message that not only resonates among athletes, but for all people living in today’s high-pressure world.”

CREDITS

Client: The Coca-Cola Company

Global Hydration Category President: Matrona Filippou
Global Advanced Hydration Sr. Director: Claire Pinel
Global Creative Strategy Director: Islam ElDessouky
Global Sr. Creative Content Manager: Laura Legrenzi
North America Active Hydration Director: Jeffrey M Fitch
North America Sr. Creative Content Manager: Shevon Williams
North America Senior Brand Manager: Tarek Metwally
Global Producer: Elsa Casadevall
Global Producer: Maria Silva
Global End to End Sr. Director: Mariano Moro

Agency: A Publicis Groupe Power of One offering drawing from creative and production teams across Publicis Italy, Publicis Mexico, Leo Burnett Chicago and Digitas NY. 

Global Chief Creative Officer Publicis Worldwide: Bruno Bertelli
CCO: Diego Wallach (Publicis Mexico)
CCO: Britt Nolan (Leo Burnett Chicago)
ECD: Sam Shepherd (Leo Burnett Chicago)
Creative team: Jason LaFlore, Matt Turnier, Katie DiNardo, Kelley Barret, Leo Varela, Darío Rodríguez, Julio Cerón (Leo Burnett Chicago & Publicis Mexico)
Chief Strategy Officer, North America: Young Lee (Digitas NY)
VP, Strategy director: Allie O’Shea (Publicis NY)
VP Group Director, Creative Strategy: Jess Friedman (Digitas NY)
Global Client Lead: Lorenza Montorfano (Publicis Italy) 
Group Account Director: Mirjana Slavkovic (Publicis Italy)
Account Supervisor: Elisa Tanganelli (Publicis Italy)
Senior Client Partner: Tiya Fazelbhoy (Publicis Groupe)
SVP, Account director- US: Michael Barclay (Leo Burnett Chicago)
Account Supervisor- US: Vejurnae Leal (Leo Burnett Chicago)
Vice President Strategy: Adrian Sutherland (Publicis Sports and Entertainment)
Chief Experience Officer: Matt Marcus (Publicis Groupe)
VP, Director of celebrity services: Peggy Walter (Leo Burnett Chicago)
Transformation Practice Lead, Global: Claire Molyneaux (Publicis Groupe)
Senior Director, Global Business development: Leah Schneider (Publicis Groupe)
Global Media lead: Major Steadman (Publicis Groupe)
Head of Communications and PR: Lizzie Dewhurst (Publicis Groupe)
Global PR and communications manager:  Julie Foulet (Publicis Groupe)
Creative awards Director: Alice Staite (Publicis Groupe)
EVP, Head of Production: Mike Davidson (Leo Burnett Chicago)
EVP, Executive Producer: Ashley Geisheker (Leo Burnett Chicago)
Senior Producer: Sara Martin (Leo Burnett Chicago)

Production: Stink Films
Director: TRAKTOR
DP LOS ANGELES: Rachel Morrison
DP LONDON: Alex Barber
Editor: Matthew Wood (Whitehouse Chicago)
Color Grade: Harbor NY
Finish: Framestore Chicago
Audio Mix: Another Country
Photographer: Neil Dacosta

“Even though there is so much against us, you will see me choose to protect myself and my community from the coronavirus by wearing a face covering,” the ad begins. “Because it’s going to take all of us thinking about one another. And even with my face covered, you will see me. You will see me as a mother, a wife, a friend. As an athlete that gave everything to the game I love. As a father leading by example. As a sister. An entertainer. A champion for my people.”

At one point, Black Lives Matter demonstration footage appears, along with a call for “demanding the space to tell the stories that matter.”

Black-ish actor Marcus Scribner headlines a second spot:

Both ads close by reminding viewers, “Covering your face is one small act of kindness that has the power to bring us all together.”

Combining themes of pandemic awareness and social justice makes sense, as communities of color have suffered disproportionately during the outbreak. Research shows an infection rate of 62 per 100,000 among Black Americans, compared to 23 per 100,000 for whites. In some U.S. cities, Black people account for more than half of Covid-19 deaths, though they comprise 12 percent of the nation’s population. (Race relations and Covid also mixed in this Ad Council PSA about anti-Asian bigotry.)

Ad Council president Lisa Sherman calls the “You Will See Me” campaign, “a message of inspiration and motivation to keep up the fight. We know that face masks are the single most effective way we can protect others from the virus. This is a powerful and critical platform for the Black community.”

3AM “cast a wide net” to include representatives “from different segments of the multi-faceted Black community,” says agency chief marketing officer Tara DeVeaux. “Viola Davis is a legend whose voice is almost as recognizable as her face. But ensuring we reached the faith-based community with talent like Kirk Franklin and Lacrae, and a younger Black audience with someone like Marcus Scribner, enabled us to have the broadest reach.”

Planning commenced as racial tension erupted across the country. Understandably, such upheaval influenced creative development.

“We were briefed on this project about a week after the Ahmaud Arbery shooting gained national attention,” DeVeaux recalls. “In our very first conversation with the Ad Council, we said we’d love to tackle the brief as long as they were open to us developing a campaign that also addressed the risks Black Americans face while wearing masks. They wholeheartedly agreed.”

As remote production began under lockdown conditions, “George Floyd was killed,” says DeVeaux. “His murder had a tremendous impact on the whole team. We cried together and learned from each other, but our resolve was strong. The primary message of ‘You Will See Me’ is to wear a face mask to protect yourself and your community from the coronavirus but a strong secondary message is that we, as Black people, want to be seen for the human beings we are under the mask.”
 
The anthem ad features, in order of appearance:
Viola Davis
Black Thought from the Roots
Marcus Scribner
Al Shearer
Stephen A. Smith
Victor Cruz
Lecrae
Lala Anthony
Deon Cole
Simone Biles
Questlove of the Roots
Kirk Franklin

CREDITS

Client: Ad Council x CDC 
Heidi Aurthur, Chief Campaign Development Officer 
Tracy Danich, VP, Campaign Director 
Anna Rodriguez, Campaign Director 
Anuar Saab, Campaign Manager  
Ellyn Fisher, SVP, Marketing and Communications
Emily Kostic, Director, Public Relations, Social Media & Brand
Christine Medina, VP, Digital Product 
Lina Rezina, Talent Relations and Partnerships Manager
Felicia Carmichael, Director of Media, Social and Emerging 

Agency: Wild Card | 3AM 
Tara DeVeaux, EVP, Chief Marketing Officer
Evan DeHaven, Executive Creative Director
Molly Douglas, Creative Director / Writer
Amber Wade, Producer
Wilson Saloj, Designer 
Shawn Shahani, Director of Insights 
Fredrick Brown, Senior Strategist
Victoria Carter, Marketing Coordinator
Tracey Smith, Casting Director
Ada Lovecraft, Web Developer
Grace Mekarski, Web Developer

Post- Production 
Louie Lorenzo, VP of Client Services
Pablo Herrero, Producer 
Katie Spritz, Associate Producer 
Chris Bohr, Editor 
Andrew Vann, Editor
Luke Porst, Editor
Charlie Butterworth, Editor
Emily Pietrocarlo, Editor
Jeremy Fisher, Creative Director Graphics
Cameron Starke, Graphics
TJ Lowe, Graphics
Stephanie Koury, Music Director
Lana Bui, Music Supervisor
Teoderico Berberabe, Music Coordinator 
Joshua Strauss, Operations Manager
Scott Sprague, Post Production Manager 
Jack Ritten, Assistant Editor
Pablo Lara, Assistant Editor
Amruta Patil, Assistant Editor

Production: Happy Place, inc.
Tara Razavi, Founder & Creative Producer 
Bille Woodruff, Director 
Danny Yirgou, Director 
Adam Coleman, DP
Peter Mosiman, DP 
Gina Naranjo, Line Producer
Sarahi Salazar, Production Coordinator
Allison Acevedo, Producer
Tony Stackhouse, Post Producer
Brandon Moody, Post Production Coordinator

Finishing: New Wave Entertainment
Shawn Stoner, Post Supervisor/Online Editor
Deloren Hickles, Rerecording Mixer
Sam Dlugach, Colorist
Ed Twiford, Colorist
Ed Molina, Compositor