Cécémel: Measurable Impact Through Activity

In early 2025, Cécémel – Belgium’s iconic chocolate-milk brand – spotted an opportunity. As the post-winter slowdown hit, the brand set out to keep momentum going, seeing the launch of their new Cécémel Protein variant as a next step in growing the brand within a new category (protein drinks) for active lifestyles.

We spoke with Cécémel Brand Manager Victor Comhaire about the brand’s goals and how Strava became a key part of its marketing playbook through a global Sponsored Challenge.

“With this Strava Challenge, we aimed to boost brand consideration, reach new active-lifestyle consumers, and drive awareness for our innovation of the year – the new Cécémel Protein drink variant,” Victor explained.

“With our campaigns in the first half of the year, we aim to cover the sales dip that typically follows the winter period,” Victor added. “The Strava Challenge helped create a mental association between sport and Cécémel, likely contributing to our strong April and May sales.”

“Strava also played a key role in strengthening and connecting with our brand community; through the Strava Club, we were able to engage with the consumer in a more meaningful and direct way than traditional media campaigns allow,” Victor said.

In short: raise awareness among active consumers, connect sport with Cécémel, and bridge the post-winter sales dip.

Why Strava?

With millions of athletes logging runs, rides, walks, and workouts every day, Strava offers brands direct access to an engaged, global active-consumer audience. A well-executed Strava Challenge can combine awareness, engagement, and reward-driven action.

For Cécémel, Strava presented a strong fit:

• A credible environment for “movement” messaging, aligning with the notion of a protein-heavy drink for people on the go.

• Ability to create a measurable activation (Challenge participation, reward click-through) and build a club/community of new users (via Strava club memberships).

• A way to overlay their product launch (Cécémel Protein) with behavior (“log activity, earn reward”), making the connection between sport and the drink.

The Activation: Cécémel Protein Challenge

Cécémel launched the Strava “Cécémel Protein Challenge – It’s all good” from April 21 to May 11. Participants worldwide were invited to log any activity - run, walk, ride, workout - over the three-week period. The multi-activity format kept the barrier to entry low and the reach high.

The results spoke for themselves:

• 62,000+ participants globally

• 88.8 % completion rate globally

• +46 % reward click-through rate

• Nearly 860,000 activities uploaded, translating to over 14M km logged and 986,000+ hours of activity

• 2,600+ new Strava club members

In Belgium, Cécémel’s core market, the reward-page click-through rate exceeded 61 %, showing exceptionally high engagement.

“Cécémel Protein drove almost +20 % sales growth in volume during and after the Strava Challenge,” Victor said. “That’s on top of the strong performance within our 300 ml PET range.”

Although brand-health tracking (e.g., consideration lift, brand affinity) is ongoing, the campaign clearly delivered on both engagement and sales momentum.

Why it worked

Several factors contributed to the success of the activation:

1. Multi-activity inclusive format

Letting participants choose their activity lowered the barrier to entry and boosted participation across fitness levels and workout preferences – from casual walkers to dedicated cyclists.

2. Strong incentive + seamless redemption funnel
The discount offer was clear and compelling, driving up to 60 % CTR in Belgium. A simple redemption path turned engagement into conversion.

3. Product relevance + timing
Launching Cécémel Protein in spring positioned it as the ideal post-workout recovery drink just as consumers were getting active again. As Victor noted, building the mental link between sport and Cécémel helped drive strong April/May results.

4. Platform-native storytelling & community
By living inside Strava’s ecosystem of real activity, Cécémel showed up where movement already happens – not as an ad break, but as a brand in action. Participants logged millions of kilometers under the Cécémel banner, naturally linking movement with the brand. The growth of its Strava club added an evergreen community element.

5. Insight and measurement
Beyond participation counts, Cécémel captured behavior patterns and completion data, providing a template for smarter future campaigns. With engagement, click-through and sales all pointing upward, the foundation is solid for scaling.

Looking Ahead

With this momentum, Cécémel is poised to make future activations even sharper.

• Focused: With rides accounting for +30 % of activities, future Challenges may lean further into cycling or multi-sport formats.

• Community: The 2,600+ new club members open a path for ongoing engagement through training tips, exclusive content, and post-Challenge offers.

• Measurement: As brand-health data matures, Cécémel can optimize for both short-term sales and long-term equity.

• Scale: With +60k participants globally, the model can extend to new regions and languages, replicating Belgium’s success.

• Innovation: After proving the impact of Cécémel Protein, Strava Challenges can now support future product launches and flavor extensions.

To Round Up

The Cécémel Protein Challenge on Strava shows how a heritage brand can engage an active-lifestyle audience, build movement-centric relevance, and drive real business impact.

“We aimed for a positive impact on consideration, to reach new customers, and to drive awareness for our innovation of the year,” Victor concluded. “The Strava Challenge helped build that link between sport and Cécémel.”