In the history of the cola wars, The Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo have continually battled for market share supremacy.
Coke vs. Pepsi. Diet Coke vs. Diet Pepsi. Powerade vs. Gatorade. Soft drinks, energy drinks, different product lines. These two brands don’t give an inch as marketers search for every opportunity to get a leg up on the competition.
One crucial strategy that has resonated with consumers throughout the years is the use of brand ambassadors. From star-studded household names to up-and-comers forging ahead, Coca-Cola has seen a litany of talent sip from their iconic glass bottles.
Here’s the list of nine top Coca-Cola-sponsored athlete endorsers in terms of social media following:
9. Amy Purdy | Paralympic Athlete
Instagram Following: 378 thousand
Facebook Following: 154 thousand
Twitter Following: 65 thousand
Total Following: 597 thousand
Purdy has been with the Coca-Cola Company since 2013, having represented the company ahead of the 2014 and 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Since then, she has repped the brand as she continues to make a name for herself as an author, dancer, and speaker.
8. Joey Logano | NASCAR
Twitter Following: 510 thousand
Instagram Following: 219 thousand
Facebook Following: 206 thousand
Total Following: 935 thousand
To say Logano is invested in the Coca-Cola company is a massive understatement. Since celebrated his 10th anniversary with the Coca-Cola Racing family back in 2018, Logano appears just as committed to the brand now as when he first started. With his own Coke bottle in tow, Logano has publicly expressed appreciation for the fruitful partnership. Whether it’s for the Coca-Cola Chug for Charity award benefiting the Joey Logano Foundation or declaring The Coke 600 a “crown jewel event“, every interaction between Joey Logano and Coca-Cola has always seemed to take a right turn.
7. Bubba Wallace | NASCAR
Instagram Following: 473 thousand
Twitter Following: 472 thousand
Facebook Following: 159 thousand
Total Following: 1.1 million
Bubba Wallace has incorporated Coke, Diet Coke, and the Coca-Cola brand within his social stances. They were integral in support of his involvement within the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. He also linked up with Diet Coke to help further the Folds of Honor program. The brand has sponsored a live in-car camera during the NASCAR Playoffs and created a custom bottle for Wallace.
6. Denny Hamlin | NASCAR
Twitter Following: 758 thousand
Facebook Following: 196 thousand
Instagram Following: 155 thousand
Total Following: 1.1 million
Like fellow NASCAR colleague Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin is not shy about repping Coca-Cola. Whether he is enjoying his custom Coke bottle, proudly displaying cardboard cutouts of himself, or shamelessly showing off the joy of being a dad in quarantine, Hamlin always has the red brand ready to rock.
5. Kelley O’Hara | NWSL & USWNT
Instagram Following: 827 thousand
Twitter Following: 608 thousand
Facebook Following: 137 thousand
Total Following: 1.5 million
The World Cup winner activated Coca-Cola on her social media during the USWNT’s championship run last year, and in the celebrations to follow.
4. Laurie Hernandez | Olympic Gym
Instagram Following: 1.5 million
Twitter Following: 595 thousand
Facebook Following: 237 thousand
Total Following: 2.3 million
The 2X Olympic medalist has made a name for herself at the age of 20, having secured lucrative endorsement deals with Nike and Toyota. And in her recent sponsorship with Coca-Cola, she was named as part of a “6-Pack” of athletes that will represent the Coca-Cola company ahead of the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 games.
3. Jordan Spieth | PGA Tour
Twitter Following: 1.9 million
Instagram Following: 1.5 million
Facebook Following: 503 thousand
Total Following: 3.9 million
Spieth has held his sponsorship deal with Coca-Cola since 2016. The 2015 Fedex Cup winner has been featured across television advertising, digital media, point-of-sale, out-of-home, experiential marketing, and packaging. Spieth has highlighted the brand on his social media as well.
2. Alex Morgan | Women’s Super League & USWNT
Instagram Following: 9.3 million
Facebook Following: 5.8 million
Twitter Following: 3.9 million
Total Following: 19 million
The World Cup and Olympic champion is extremely familiar Coca-Cola. Morgan has partnered with the brand for the majority of her career as she became the first female footballer to be sponsored by the company in 2011.
The newly minted Tottenham Hotspur has parlayed her success on the international stage in activating different campaigns with Coke. On the Olympic stage, Morgan was named a “6-Pack” athlete with the company ahead of the 2012, 2016, and now 2020 Olympics. She has also taken the sponsorship a step further by hosting the Coca-Cola Soccer Camp following the USWNT’s Olympic Gold victory in 2012.
On the World Cup stage, Morgan spread awareness with the rest of the USWNT through the #BelieveWithUS campaign. The journey was further activated by making Believe Bands from the red-adorned nets featured in #SheBelievesCup matches. Coca-Cola continues to put their money where their mouth is as they have fervently backed the USWNT and thrown their support behind the women in the red, white, and blue.
1. Lebron James | NBA
Instagram Following: 74.3 million
Twitter Following: 48.2 million
Facebook Following: 25.2 million
Total Following: 147.7 million
The Los Angeles Laker has had an illustrious history with the soft drink brand. His initial endorsement deal in 2003 was worth a whopping $12-15 million. The collaboration continued throughout James’ career including when he was with Miami (teaming up with Sprite for a customized “Sprite 6 Mix” flavor) as well as with a foray of additional marketing campaigns.
This squad of athlete influence holds a combined social following of over 177+ million. Spanning sports across the country, and even the globe, Coca-Cola has been able to leverage this crop of superstar power to continue its dominance in brand recognition and growth.
