AUSTIN, Texas — Beverage maker Big Red Inc. is relaunching its Xyience today, one year after the Texas-based company purchased the energy-drink brand.

The relaunch includes a new look and new positioning for the top-10 energy beverage brand, as well as the rollout of an integrated marketing campaign leveraging college football.

Xyience’s college-football-led marketing efforts will feature in-store and online promotions, experiential activations and a TV commercial starring the brand’s new spokesperson, ESPN “College GameDay” reporter Samantha Ponder. The TV spot will debut Monday, Sept. 7, during the nationally televised Ohio State vs. Virginia Tech prime-time college football game on ESPN.

With today’s relaunch, Xyience shifts its positioning to focus on the brand’s flavor portfolio in an effort to appeal to older millennial consumers (ages 27 to 37), a segment that is increasing its consumption of energy beverages, according to 2015 Mintel data.

“Xyience is targeting the older millennial consumer that grew up during the energy-drink boom and now drinks more energy beverages, especially zero-calorie products, to keep up with everyday life,” said Gary Smith, CEO of Big Red Inc. “We believe that college football will appeal to a more mainstream audience and soften the brand’s extreme image associated with its former sponsorship of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.”

Components of the Xyience relaunch include:

• A refreshed brand identity, including a bold, clean can design, a new logo and power surge icon
• Signing of new spokesperson Ponder
• The aforementioned commercial starring Ponder that will debut Sept. 7 and air throughout the fall during nationally televised college football games and ESPN “College GameDay”
• A digital marketing campaign and social-media sweepstakes that will award the grand-prize winner a meet-and-greet with Ponder at college football’s biggest game in Arizona, the final bowl game of the season.
• In-store point-of-sale pieces featuring Ponder and national sweepstakes promotional messaging
• Experiential marketing and sampling activations at some of the nation’s largest college football tailgating destinations

Launched in 2006 and now based in Austin, Texas, Xyience calls itself the original zero-calorie energy beverage, available in eight flavors: Cherry Lime, Mango Guava, Frostberry Blast, Blue Pomegranate, Cran Razz, Fruit Punch, Tangerine and Melon Mayhem.

Xyience was acquired by Big Red Inc.in 2014.Big Red Inc. also markets beverage brands Big Red, Diet Big Red, Big Blue, Big Red Vanilla Float, Big Peach, Big Pineapple, NuGrape and Nesbitt’sodas.