- Le Portier Cognac and America's Gold Star Families launched a Memorial Day campaign (May 21–July 6) where a portion of all online bottle sales goes directly to the nonprofit supporting fallen military families.
- Shannon Sharpe will personally visit military installations, including Nellis Air Force Base and Fort Benning, for private appreciation events with active-duty service members.
- The initiative is designed as an ongoing commitment, not a one-time campaign, with consumer donation links embedded across all digital platforms.
Shannon Sharpe, Pro Football Hall of Famer, First Take co-host, and Club Shay Shay podcast host, is putting his military appreciation on the line, literally.
His cognac brand, Le Portier, has partnered with America’s Gold Star Families on a Memorial Day initiative that runs through July 6, with a slice of every online bottle sale going to families of fallen service members.
Sharpe will make personal visits to Nellis Air Force Base and Fort Benning as part of the campaign: private, no-frills appreciation stops centered on genuine connection with troops.
This mirrors how athletes like Derick Hall and Allison Schmitt brought personal authenticity to their Huggies “Natural Born Fighters” campaign.
Since Sharpe co-founded Le Portier in 2021, the brand has built its identity around community activations, partnering with Fathead during Super Bowl week in 2024 and expanding distribution through Eagle Rock Distributing. The Memorial Day campaign is the brand’s highest-profile cause partnership to date.
Separately, Sharpe has recently been active with PrizePicks and Call of Duty, keeping his endorsement roster diverse.
This kind of purpose-led activation is increasingly how athletes are building brand equity in 2026, much like Tommy DeVito’s community-facing partnership with HOKA and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Takeaways
Shannon Sharpe didn’t just slap his name on a press release for this one, he’s physically showing up at military bases, which adds a layer of authenticity that’s hard to manufacture.
For Le Portier, this is smart positioning: the premium spirits space is crowded, and cause-driven activations help carve out emotional real estate that taste alone can’t win.
The May 21–July 6 window is also calculated, it stretches well past Memorial Day into summer, keeping the campaign alive through peak spirits-selling season.
And by directing both purchase proceeds and direct donation links to America’s Gold Star Families, the campaign creates multiple entry points for consumers to engage, not just buy.
Does Sharpe physically visiting the troops make this feel more authentic than a typical celebrity PSA or does mixing cognac sales with military tribute create an uncomfortable tension? Could this Memorial Day campaign become an annual Le Portier tradition, and what would that mean for the brand’s long-term identity?
