According to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, Advocare used endorsements from professional athletes, title sponsorship of professional sporting events, conferences, podcasts, and more to pitch what it called a life-changing business opportunity, but that the FTC alleged was a pyramid scheme.[3][30]
AdvoCare's contracted celebrity endorsers have included soccer player Carli Lloyd; Major League Baseball pitcher Doug Fister; CrossFit champion Rich Froning; NFL players Andy Dalton, Philip Rivers, Alex Smith, Sam Bradford, Wes Welker, and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who was described by ESPN as the face of the company.[31] ESPN The Magazine described celebrity endorsers as central to "the Bulletproof Shield," a sales and recruitment technique used by the company to deflect questions about the product. In this technique, distributors place themselves at the center of a chart illustrating the company's endorsements and members of its scientific and medical advisory board, and deflects questions about the company by replying, "Well, I don't know about (X), but what I do know is" that particular athletes or doctors have endorsed AdvoCare.[31]
AdvoCare ceased offering KickStart Spark, targeted to youth age 4–11, after pediatricians had expressed concerns about the product containing 60 mg of caffeine.[32] AdvoCare was also the subject of criticism for its marketing at youth athletic events. In 2005, the company paid $5,000 to sponsor a high school wrestling tournament in Sacramento but after negative publicity, AdvoCare officials said they would not sponsor any more school events.[32] From 2009 until 2013, AdvoCare was the title sponsor of the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana. The 2013 game was known as the AdvoCare V100 Bowl.[33][34][35] In 2012, AdvoCare partnered with the Major League Soccer team FC Dallas and became its jersey sponsor.[36] In 2020, the company switched to become the team’s sleeve sponsor.[37]
In 2014, AdvoCare purchased the naming rights of a professional sports practice facility located at The Greenbrier in West Virginia.[38] The facility was named the AdvoCare Sports Performance Center and hosted the 2014 training camp for the New Orleans Saints.[39][40][41] AdvoCare also became the title sponsor of the 2014 Texas Bowl.[42] In 2016, AdvoCare was to sponsor the Texas Kickoff and Cowboys Classic games.[43][44]
From 2011 to 2016,[45][46] AdvoCare sponsored several NASCAR racing teams and drivers, including Trevor Bayne and Roush Fenway Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Xfinity Series,[31][47] as well as races at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway.[45][46]
