- Inde Navarrette stars in David Protein's cinematic new campaign for its just-launched David Frozen Dessert line, marking her first-ever commercial and brand partnership.
- The campaign mirrors the plot of her breakout horror film Obsession, in which Navarrette plays Nikki Freeman, building suspense until revealing the "stalker" is actually a craving for David's high-protein frozen dessert.
- David Frozen Dessert pints pack 30 grams of protein and between 210–260 calories per pint, with less than two grams of sugar; available at davidprotein.com at $90 for six pints.
- Prior to the campaign launch, Bella Hadid was photographed eating David Frozen Dessert aboard a yacht in Cannes on June 1, serving as an organic celebrity tease ahead of the official rollout.
Inde Navarrette is officially a brand partner for David Protein, and her commercial debut couldn’t be more cinematic. The 25-year-old actress, who recently shot to viral fame for her terrifying performance as Nikki Freeman in the supernatural horror film Obsession, is fronting the launch campaign for the company’s highly anticipated David Frozen Dessert line.
Directed by Justin Robert Campbell, with the rollout overseen by David Protein’s Head of Communications Markos Bitsakakis, the ad campaign serves as a clever, high-production parody of Navarrette’s recent movie.
Instead of a sinister, wish-granting entity taking over her life, the commercial builds classic horror-movie tension by showing Navarrette alone at night, seemingly stalked by an ominous presence. The high-stakes thriller vibe hilariously breaks with the final reveal: the relentless “stalker” haunting her is actually a massive craving for David’s new high-protein ice cream.
Much like comedian Heather McMahan’s health-focused campaign with Unisom, the partnership taps a talent whose personality is perfectly aligned with the brand’s tone.
David Protein CEO Peter Rahal noted that the concept for the campaign came together rapidly after Head of Communications Markos Bitsakakis saw Obsession and was instantly captivated by Navarrette’s breakout performance.
The brand name David was deliberately chosen as a direct homage to Michelangelo’s iconic David sculpture, a nod to the brand’s core commitment to a clean standard of physical and artistic excellence under parent umbrella Linus Technology, Inc.
The partnership comes as Obsession continues its historic run as a genuine pop-culture phenomenon. Breaking traditional box office trends for the horror genre, the micro-budget film defied steep second- and third-week drops, holding steady to become the first sub-$1 million budget movie this century to cross the $200 million milestone globally.
Fueled by the film’s success, Navarrette recently skyrocketed to the number one spot on IMDb’s global STARmeter and capped off her breakout awards-season run with high-profile industry appearances, including attending the exclusive Chanel Tribeca Artists Dinner in New York.
Takeaways
David Protein isn’t playing the typical influencer playbook here, they made a short film. By hiring a breakout actress at the exact moment the world is discovering her, and letting the creative mirror her most iconic role, the brand has engineered something genuinely memorable rather than just another paid post. It’s brand marketing with a real point of view, and that’s increasingly rare.
This deal also cements Navarrette as a commercial force, not just a critical darling, exactly the leap that turns a breakout star into a lasting name.
Is this the beginning of a long-term ambassador relationship between Navarrette and David Protein, or a one-off campaign tied to Obsession‘s current cultural moment? With Obsession still building box office momentum, how much will this campaign amplify both the film and the brand simultaneously?
