Another day, another flavor for Gatorade
Gatorade has been befuddling me ever since the beginning of their “What’s G” campaign.
First it was “What is G?”
Now it’s “Who is Gatorade?”
At first I thought the new campaign was meant to infuse the beverage brand with a little more urban chic, with Lil’ Wayne narrating and the implication that the Jabbawockeez are just as much athletes as are Michael Jordan and Jackie Robinson.
Then came the Monty Python ads. Weird. Amusing. About as far from “urban chic” as you can get.
Yesterday I saw their latest ad (I don’t see it on YouTube yet, but follow the link to watch it on Gatorade’s “Mission G” microsite). I liked it. Until I realized it’s because it feels like a Nike ad. Not that it’s exactly like any specific Nike ad (at least not one that I could find), but my impression is that it shares the same personality. Or maybe “flavor” is a better word to use for Gatorade.
I can’t imagine a better sports brand to emulate than Nike (some of their ads rank among my favorites). But unlike Nike, whose identity and personality is conveyed consistently, Gatorade seems to be flailing wildly, hoping that one of its messages will hit the mark—that one of its personalities will resonate with athletes. It’s one thing to have multilple ad campaigns (Geico does it, but all of its ads share the same quirky sense of humor), but multiple personalities? When it comes to keeping a leading brand strong, that’s one surefire way to miss the mark.
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Thanks, Paul. Gotta ask, what did you end up buying, Vitamin Water?
This also made me think of an old Gatorade print ad that I love, which simply showed a hat with sweat stains on it with copy reading “When you sweat, you lose more than just water.” Straight to the point. And very different from all of the TV ads we’re talking about here, although I’ll grant that it was awhile ago. I can’t find a copy of it anywhere online…
I like that you bring up that old print ad, Rob. That’s back when Gatorade actually used to be about the purpose and function of its product. Somewhere along the line it lost that focus and became more image-conscious and hip. And I swear today’s Gatorade is sweeter than it was 20 years ago. As a runner I don’t trust it as much anymore.
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Dude, you’re so right on. ‘G’ stands for Great Moments in Brand Dipshittery. (GMBD)
Gatorade’s indeed flailing. As an athlete and a tri-athlete, I’ve bought it for decades. The other day in a convenience store, I was stymied trying to understand where the hell it went — literally (the new packaging didn’t connect with my eyeballs, at all) — and metaphorically (the brand reliably SIGNIFIED improved performance and recovery while sweating). They got lost in their data and they lost me.
Good time for smart competitors, all this push for “brand disrution”! “Change for the sake of change”!
As a customer, and loyal brand user, I was suddenly laid open and looking for something else….
Research showed their brand was losing major share to many new competitors, and Pepsi/Gatorade even sued Coke/PowerAde recently at the peak of their various custard flingings. OK, is that lawsuit working for or against the plaintiff’s brand and sales — long term? How about short-term? Can we language the suit complaint in such a way to support our brand? A cross-current question marketing was prevented from chiming in on. Too bad — it hurt’em.
Nike is still a great partner for the G. If they were smart and not merely reactionary, they’d re-build those legacy bridges — and just add new ones, consistently.
Thanks for posting, consistently good, Rob.