When he walks around Rio Tinto Stadium at a Real Salt Lake match, LifeVantage President and CEO Darren Jensen smiles when he sees people from all walks of life wearing RSL jerseys. Whether they be young aspiring soccer players or longtime season ticket holders, he takes pride in the partnership LifeVantage has cultivated with Real Salt Lake.
And when executives from competing companies are wearing the LifeVantage logo across their chest, his smile stretches a little bit wider.
“Many of our competitors are proud fans of Real Salt Lake,” Jensen said. “As I attend matches and see my peers proudly wearing our name on their jersey…that’s priceless.”
Real Salt Lake and LifeVantage are celebrating five seasons together as business partners, with LifeVantage emblazoned on the front of RSL jerseys since the 2014 season. The partnership goes far beyond the boardroom, though, as both RSL and LifeVantage share many of the same goals and values in how they conduct their businesses.
“As people see Real Salt Lake, they see LifeVantage. The two brands become associated with each other and synonymous at a certain level. I think that they both have to reflect common goals, behaviors and philosophies of what they are trying to accomplish,” Jensen said. “As I look at Real, I see the characteristics of success, optimizing health and giving back to the community by providing services that help kids so they can grow up and have opportunities. Those are the values that we share as a company.”
Another way RSL and LifeVantage are closely linked is their partnership in biohacking, which is at the core of LifeVantage’s business. Using nutrigenomics – the scientific study of the interaction of nutrition and genes – LifeVantage is committed to “cracking the aging code” and helping people live healthier lives.
For Real Salt Lake players, that means not just performing at peak levels, but in their recoveries as well. Helping the Club achieve peak performance both on and off the pitch isn’t the company’s sole focus, however. It’s to help all people of all ages and at all stations in life gain an edge, not only physically but cognitively.
“Everybody can’t be down on the field like Kyle Beckerman. But everyone can be out in their backyard playing with and engaging their kids or grandkids. That’s what we want,” Jensen said. “We want people to live healthier and longer and to enjoy life, regardless of their age. We help people take control of and optimize their own biology.”
Through the partnership with Real Salt Lake, LifeVantage has been able to foster a broader audience within the Salt Lake community and worldwide. In addition to the tens of thousands of fans wearing RSL jerseys in Utah, the club is also seen on local television and worldwide on the various league broadcast partners.
This is particularly valuable in friendlies against teams like Manchester United, who visited Rio Tinto Stadium last summer as part of the English giant’s preseason tour. During that match, Jensen got text messages from around the world from friends and colleagues who saw the LifeVantage logo displayed for all to see.
“LifeVantage is a global company and, ultimately, our reach through the RSL partnership becomes global in some cases due to the sport’s global appeal,” Jensen said. “Soccer is the world’s game, and there’s nothing else like it.”
Another example of RSL helping LifeVantage gain an edge was when RSL hosted the Chicago Fire at Rio Tinto Stadium on August 4. Emerging LifeVantage leaders from around the world were on hand to see the stands filled with fans sporting white RSL replica t-shirt jerseys in a LifeVantage-sponsored whiteout of the stadium.
The fervor not only left Jensen and the company proud, but also reinforced his belief that the partnership does wonders for both sides. Those emerging business leaders left the match with an indelible image of their company through the lens of what has become a very powerful partnership.
“That sort of social proof … you can’t quantify that,” Jensen said. “They’ve seen the vision and the potential of who we are.”
For more information on LifeVantage, visitLifeVantage.com/RSL.
