Saturday, January 27, 2024
MARKETING AND SPONSORSHIP
Winter X Games extends, expands partnership with Thayers Natural Remedies
BY RACHEL AXON 1.24.2024
For the first time, the Winter X Games will have gender equity in its events, thanks to the extension of a partnership with Thayers Natural Remedies. The skincare company has signed on to sponsor the event, which kicks off in Aspen, Colo., on Friday. Thayers will entitle the knuckle huck competitions, giving women’s freeskiers and snowboarders a chance to compete in it for the first time.
“For Thayers, we represent and deliver better bare skin for all, and inclusivity is top of mind for us,” said Kevin Katz, Assistant VP at Thayers Natural Remedies. “We’re a very unisex brand. We thought that the opportunity to partner with the X Games and introducing the knuckle huck to women was a very exciting opportunity to tap into, and that’s why that course was of particular interest for us.”
Thayers, a more than 175-year-old skincare company best known for its red-capped toner, first partnered with X Games California last year in a deal facilitated by Coyne PR. Katz said coming out of that event the brand saw some of the highest sales since it was purchased by L’Oréal in 2020. The X Games give the company opportunities to connect with Gen Z, he added.
“Beyond sales, we also were able to dive deeper and really enrich the relationship with the consumer,” Katz said. “It unlocked a lot of one-to-one communication on the ground.” Thayers’ activation in Aspen will include a branded chair lift, samples for athletes in the lounge and an “Apres Ski(n)” lounge where spectators can learn about skin care. Thayers will have signage along the course as well.
Most visibly, it will give female athletes the change to compete in the same events as their male counterparts, something the X Games has not always had in the past. For years, the X Games had big air competitions for male athletes but didn’t add those for women until 2017, the year before that event made its Olympic debut. The X Games added knuckle huck, which sees athletes do tricks off the knuckle of the jump rather than the kicker that sends them soaring in the air, for men’s snowboarding in 2019 and for men’s freeskiing the year after.
“Just having that equality factor, bringing female athletes to the forefront, that’s an important part of it,” said Ashley Robbins, VP at X Games. “It’s really innovative what we’re doing with them. It’s really out of the box, and it’s been a true partnership bringing to life this incredible event and really being partners that are working to grow our brands together.”
