Jersey Shore Nutrition

It's so you don't end up a (total) shipwreck.

Have you seen Jersey Shore ? The characters may be muscleheads… but you gotta admit, they’ve sure got muscles. One reason why: A Jersey Shore episode doesn’t come full circle until the housemates have their morning protein shakes.

The ubiquitous Jersey Shore trend’s focus on fitness has pumped up a lucrative sports nutrition demographic: young adults, aged 17-25. The stats don’t lie: A recent study suggests that 90%+ of college-aged men would like to be more muscular.* As a result, the demand for creatine and whey protein — considered to be foundation supplements for muscle mass — has spiked higher than a blowout hairstyle. Sports nutrition fortunes can be made on the Jersey Shore boardwalk alone. All you need is spray-on tan, a blender, your protein powder… and a-whey you go.

I’ve worked on multiple sports nutrition marketing campaigns, many of which targeted the surging 17-25 “Gym Rat” demographic. One ongoing project (pictured above) involves developing training tips to help store clerks maximize sports nutrition sales.

As great as the 17-25 group may be for sports nutrition sales, another demographic might possess even greater potential…


Frederick, David. “Desiring the Muscular Ideal: Men’s Body Satisfaction in the United States, Ukraine, and Ghana.” Psychology of Men and Maculinity, Vol. 8, No. 2 (2007): 103-117