Wellness & NutritionPopeye's Supplements × Dylan Ferguson — Canada Campaign
Popeye's Supplements activated goaltender Dylan Ferguson, turning an in-store product collection into authentic social content for Canadian sports-nutrition audiences. ->.
Overview
The campaign
Popeye's Supplements Ontario used Sport Endorse to partner with Canadian ice hockey goaltender Dylan Ferguson in 2023. The activation combined a local store visit, product collection and athlete-led social content, connecting the retailer's sports-nutrition offer with the real training and recovery routine of a high-performance athlete.
The challenge
Popeye's Supplements wanted to strengthen the connection between its Canadian retail network and the everyday nutrition needs of serious athletes. The brand was not simply looking for a recognisable name holding a product. It needed an athlete whose sport, training demands and credibility could make the store experience and product-use message feel relevant to consumers interested in performance, energy and recovery.
Internal HubSpot activity shows that the early search focused on athletes with local-market sporting relevance, particularly around major Canadian team environments. The eventual activation also required a practical content journey: the selected athlete needed to visit a nearby Popeye's Supplements location, collect product, experience the store and then translate that experience into social content. The challenge was therefore to combine athlete selection, retail participation and authentic content without making the partnership feel like a conventional scripted endorsement.
The Sport Endorse solution
Sport Endorse supported Popeye's Supplements Ontario in identifying and activating Dylan Ferguson, a Canadian ice hockey goaltender whose performance environment naturally aligned with the retailer's sports-nutrition positioning. The official legacy success story identifies Ferguson as the selected athlete and describes the fit between his training demands and the brand's focus on products designed to support athletes.
The campaign was built around a clear physical-to-digital journey. Ferguson was asked to stop at his nearest Popeye's Supplements store, collect product and create content about both the in-store experience and his use of the products. This gave the activation a tangible starting point. Instead of beginning with a remote product shipment and a generic post, the collaboration connected the athlete to the retailer's local presence and allowed the store visit to become part of the story.
HubSpot records show that the Popeyes Supplements Deal was created on 15 May 2023 and closed on 28 July 2023 as an Opportunity Completed. Trevor Twamley owned the Deal, which was marked High Priority. The associated client contact was Aaron Labarre, President and Owner of Popeye's Supplements Ontario. A meeting between the client and Sport Endorse was also recorded on 15 May, supporting a coordinated selection and activation process. The final content was distributed through Ferguson's social channels, although the available records do not preserve a platform-by-platform breakdown.
Athlete fit
Dylan Ferguson offered a strong fit because the role of a goaltender depends on preparation, energy management, physical conditioning and recovery. Those demands gave him a credible reason to discuss sports-nutrition products as part of an active routine. The legacy story also emphasised that he prioritised the energy and nutrients required both on the ice and in the gym, creating a natural bridge between athlete performance and the retailer's product range.
His Canadian ice hockey profile also matched the brand's home market and the local relevance evident in the early client discussions. By incorporating an actual Popeye's Supplements store visit, the partnership connected Ferguson's sporting credibility with a real customer touchpoint. This made the activation useful on two levels: it presented the products through an athlete lens while also showing where consumers could discover and purchase them. The result was a partnership grounded in both performance culture and retail accessibility.
Deliverables
- The verified records confirm the following campaign structure and deliverables:
- One athlete partnership activated with ice hockey goaltender Dylan Ferguson.
- One visit to a nearby Popeye's Supplements retail location.
- Product collection completed in store as part of the athlete experience.
- Athlete-led content created around the store visit and product-use experience.
- Campaign content distributed through Dylan Ferguson's social channels.
- Brand, retailer and athlete coordination managed through a completed Sport Endorse opportunity.
Results
The verified evidence confirms one activated athlete, one completed Deal, one retail visit and a three-stage content journey covering store experience, product collection and social publishing. The HubSpot Deal ran for 74 days from creation to close. Verified reach, impressions, views, engagement rate, clicks, store traffic, product sales and conversion data were not available in the records reviewed, so none have been estimated.
“No verbatim client testimonial was preserved in the HubSpot activity reviewed. The strongest verified trust signal is the completed opportunity and the public success story documenting the finished activation. That legacy story described the athlete and product connection as "a perfect fit", reflecting the intended alignment between Ferguson's performance routine and Popeye's Supplements' sports-nutrition offer. 1 athlete -> 1 retail visit -> authentic social content linking sports nutrition with real performance routines.”—
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