How does this sponsorship performance compare to that of rival energy‑drink brands like Red Bull and Coca‑Cola?

What we can conclude from the news item

• Monster Energy has a rider (Jhancarlos Gonzalez) on its “team rider” roster who placed third in the men’s division at the 2025 SLS Cleveland Takeover Street Skateboarding Competition.
  
• This podium finish is a tangible result of Monster’s sponsorship activation at one of the fourth stops of the Street League Skateboarding (SLS) World Tour, giving the brand visible brand‑association with a high‑profile skate event and a podium moment that can be used in its marketing communications.

How that performance stacks up against the usual activity of rival energy‑drink brands

Key take‑aways

1. Concrete outcome for Monster – The third‑place result is a measurable performance metric that Monster can point to when evaluating the ROI of its skate‑boarding sponsorship. It demonstrates that the brand’s investment is translating into on‑ice (on‑deck) success, which can boost brand perception among the skate‑boarding community.

2. Lack of comparable data for rivals – The press release does not provide any contemporaneous competition results for Red Bull or Coca‑Cola at the same event. Without that data, we cannot quantify how many podiums those brands secured at the Cleveland stop, nor can we calculate a direct “sponsorship performance ratio.”

3. Contextual industry insight (non‑speculative)

   • Historically, Red Bull has been a dominant sponsor in skate‑boarding, often fielding multiple riders who win or place on the podium at SLS events. This suggests that, on average, Red Bull’s sponsorship performance is strong, but we cannot confirm its exact performance at this specific Cleveland competition from the information given.
     
   • Coca‑Cola’s involvement in skate‑boarding is generally less intensive than Monster’s or Red Bull’s. The brand’s energy‑drink extensions occasionally appear in lifestyle‑oriented events, but they rarely maintain a dedicated “team rider” program comparable to Monster’s. Again, we have no specific result from this event to evaluate.

4. Relative impression for Monster – By publicly celebrating a podium finish, Monster is leveraging the result for brand equity (e.g., press releases, social media, on‑site activations). Even if Red Bull may have secured higher‑placed finishes elsewhere, a third‑place podium still provides Monster with a valuable narrative of success and athlete support.

Bottom line

Based solely on the provided news, Monster Energy’s sponsorship yielded a concrete and marketable result—a third‑place finish for its rider at a major SLS stop. The article does not give any comparable competition outcomes for Red Bull or Coca‑Cola, so a precise performance‑by‑performance comparison cannot be drawn from this source alone. However, within the broader industry context, Monster’s result aligns with its strategy of maintaining a visible, results‑driven presence in skate‑boarding, a space where Red Bull traditionally dominates and Coca‑Cola has a comparatively lighter footprint.