How CLIF BAR Brand Uses Strava to Power Smarter Marketing

In the fast-evolving world of active lifestyle marketing, success means more than spotting trends - it means activating them in real time.

Many brands tap into a mix of agency research and internal analytics to guide their strategy. Increasingly, marketers are also looking to real-time, real-world platforms to enrich that view. That’s where Strava’s Year in Sport report proves powerful: offering a fresh, yearly data-rich snapshot of how modern athletes train, fuel, and pursue their goals. For brand marketers, it’s a layer of insight that can sharpen strategy and deepen relevance.

One brand putting these insights into motion with standout precision? CLIF BAR. As a pioneer in performance nutrition since 1992, CLIF BAR brand has always understood athletes. But what sets them apart today is how they translate emerging behavioral signals into smart, consumer-first strategies, shaping everything from product innovation to campaign narratives to platform partnerships.

We spoke with Brooke Donberg, Director of Partnerships and Activation at CLIF BAR, to unpack how the brand uses athlete behavior data to shape campaigns, innovate products, and build community. We explore how CLIF BAR is leveraging Strava’s trends, and their own consumer data, as well as four key trends CLIF BAR has identified and how the brand is actively adapting its marketing strategy to meet the moment. 

For marketers navigating health, wellness, or CPG spaces, CLIF BAR brand’s approach offers a playbook for how to adapt, engage, and lead.

Trend 1: Energy as a Daily Necessity

Marketing Move: Expand Your Use Cases

CLIF BAR has observed that today’s consumers aren’t only fueling up for race day - they’re looking for sustained energy throughout their daily activities. They’re looking for reliable energy to help power through daily workouts, training plans, and everything in between.

“We know that consumers are seeking products that provide energy during workouts,” says Brooke. “As a well-established energy bar brand, we’ve shifted our campaign messaging to reinforce CLIF BAR Energy Bar’s functional benefits as it relates to energy.”

This subtle pivot - away from performance-only messaging and toward everyday energy - reflects a larger move in the wellness space where consumers prioritize functionality over form. CLIF BAR is now focusing more on real-life utility in its storytelling, speaking directly to those juggling training schedules with full calendars.

 This aligns directly with Strava’s Year in Sport trend report finding that “45 to 60 minutes is the ideal workout length”. CLIF BAR energy bars serve as practical fuel for this mid-length window, reinforcing the brand’s value in an athlete's life.

Marketer Takeaway: Broaden your messaging to speak to everyday performance moments. Position your product as a daily workout companion, not just a race-day essential.

Trend 2: Riding the Running Boom

Marketing Move: Activate at Iconic Events

The post-pandemic surge in endurance sports, especially running, hasn’t gone unnoticed by CLIF BAR. Rather than simply noting the trend, the brand is investing in strategic partnerships to deepen relevance with this growing community.

“We’ve observed the boom in the running market,” Brooke shares. “We recently became the Official Energy Bar of the Boston Marathon® presented by Bank of America to connect with our core consumers and are activating at the event in a disruptive, compelling way.”

But the real impact came from the way they showed up. “We created “The CLIF Bar” pop-up experience. We really leaned into all the fun aspects of bar culture, except our bar provided all of the energy (and no alcohol),” explains Brooke. “We had programming throughout the week including a Wheelchair Racing panel (to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Wheelchair Racing at the Boston Marathon), shakeout runs, and trivia night. We also created some premium merch that we gave to runners who did our Strava challenge or segment. We had a line out the door the entire weekend!”

And the timing couldn’t be more aligned. With “43% of Strava users saying they plan to complete a big race in 2025,” per Strava’s Year in Sport report, CLIF BAR brand’s investment in endurance sports, from product innovation to event activation, reflects a brand moving in step with its consumers’ goals. 

Marketer Takeaway: Don’t just sponsor events - immerse your brand in them. Use real-world gatherings as a platform for content, community, and conversion.

Trend 3: The Rise of the Hybrid Athlete

Marketing Move: Speak to the Whole Self

Athletes today train in more diverse, integrated ways than ever before. From the studio to the track, gym to trail, the modern athlete doesn’t fit neatly into one box - and CLIF BAR sees that as a major opportunity. This trend, especially pronounced among women (with strength training up 25% per Strava), signals a shift in how athletic identity is defined.

 “I’m really interested in the ‘hybrid athlete’ trend,” says Brooke. “It’s a reflection of what we’re seeing with more women strength-training and a broader interest in longevity and overall well-being. Consumers are looking for products that help them achieve this, and I believe our portfolio can play a meaningful role here.” 

This insight is reshaping CLIF BAR brand’s campaign language and partnerships to reflect inclusivity, flexibility, and whole being.

Marketer Takeaway: Expand beyond peak performance. Create campaigns that honor balance, strength, and longevity.

Trend 4: Flavor Meets Function: Launching with Purpose

Marketing Move: Launch With Purpose, Not Just Product

The CLIF BAR brand’s marketing team is innovating in response to shifts. A prime example is the recent launch of the Caffeinated Collection, designed to meet demand for functional ingredients that energize naturally and taste great.

The new flavors – Vanilla Almond and Caramel Chocolate Chip – were developed in collaboration with CLIF BAR athlete ambassadors Frances Tiafoe and Breanna Stewart. According to Brooke, this approach reflects the brand’s effort to connect product development with the perspectives of its athlete partners, aiming to create offerings that feel relevant and grounded in real experiences.

By tying product development directly to cultural moments and influencer alignment, CLIF BAR is creating more emotional resonance with their audience.

Marketer Takeaway: Let product innovation emerge from real athlete or consumer voices. Purpose-driven development strengthens trust and drives trial.

New Platforms, New Playbooks

CLIF BAR brand’s marketing evolution doesn’t stop with product. As the digital landscape continues to expand, brands like CLIF BAR are increasingly seeking platforms that deliver impressions and drive engagement - especially in ways that align with performance, community, and purpose.

Since being acquired by Mondelēz International, Inc., CLIF BAR has zeroed in on Strava as a key platform partner, leveraging challenge-based activations and exploring new ways to integrate brand messaging into real athlete experiences.

“We are partnering with Strava on some exciting challenges that connect to our campaign and sponsorships,” Brooke explains. “Additionally, we’re exploring other creative ways to work with them in the future that we’re really excited about, expanding our partnership in the near future.” 

After the success of CLIF BAR brand’s pop-up ‘bar’ at the Boston Marathon and a piece of content CLIF BAR ran on social media that promoted the Strava Segment and Challenge (more on these below), the team is exploring re-creating their pop-up at future events and Strava miles will be athletes’ ticket to entry.

Additionally, one standout example of CLIF BAR and Strava’s partnership is CLIF BAR's Strava Club, now home to over 28,000 active members. It’s a space where users share progress, cheer one another on, and organically spotlight their favorite CLIF BAR products. These micro-moments of community and authenticity turn a brand interaction into something more personal and more powerful.

Strava also gives CLIF BAR the ability to meet athletes in motion, not in static ad spaces. Through segment-based challenges and exclusive rewards, CLIF BAR transforms marketing into motivation. A recent activation - the CLIF BAR Boston Segment Challenge - invited users to complete a specific course segment in exchange for custom CLIF BAR merchandise and a 30% sitewide discount. It was an activation that fused community, product, and purpose in one seamless experience.

This real-time, platform-based engagement is tightly woven into the latest CLIF BAR brand multimedia campaign that launched in February 2025 and will continue to come to life throughout the year: "Raise Your Bar". It is a multi-channel initiative centered on progress, potential, and pushing limits.

Staying true to its dedication to passionate athletes, the campaign highlights the everyday victories that come from consistent dedication and grit. It celebrates the satisfaction that comes from pushing limits and overcoming obstacles – those moments when continuing the journey feels more natural than stopping, and perseverance becomes second nature.

And Strava is playing a starring role. Together, CLIF BAR and Strava will roll out refreshed co-branded content, event activations, and Challenges on the platform that encourage consumers to Raise Their Bar, supporting CLIF BAR to reach its target audience.

“‘Raise Your Bar’ aims to encourage consumers to push the limits and keep moving forward to reach new heights,” Brooke says. One of the campaign’s highlights? The Raise Your Bar Challenge on Strava, which asked participants to log 129 minutes of activity to unlock a product discount. The result? Over 184,000 athletes participated, offering a striking example of how performance-based engagement can drive scale and brand affinity.

The campaign, which speaks directly to Strava’s community of goal-setters, people who value data, discipline, and shared milestones, spans multiple touchpoints, including:

·   Motivational multimedia creative

·   Live event activations and high-impact sponsorships

·   Athlete collaborations and brand partnerships

·   Strava challenges that reward consistency and personal effort

Marketer Takeaway: Use platforms where your audience already plays. Reward consistency and tie performance to emotional and tangible value.

Final Takeaway: Turning Trends into Traction

The most effective marketing leaders today aren’t waiting for the next big trend to land, they’re actively interpreting, adapting, and acting on them. CLIF BAR shows how to translate data and behavior into strategy, turning athlete insights into action.

Whether it’s fueling hybrid routines, championing inclusive performance, or engaging communities in motion on Strava, the CLIF BAR marketing playbook is grounded in purpose and precision.

For active lifestyle brands, CLIF BAR brand’s strategy is a timely reminder that brand leadership is about knowing where your consumer is - and where they’re headed - and showing up with the right message.

Or as Brooke Donberg puts it: “At CLIF BAR, we’re always asking how we can show up meaningfully in people’s lives - and that means not just following trends, but helping fuel them.”