|
Okay, I’ll admit that’s a harsh riff on Gatorades tagline,
and 80s jingle that is still emblazoned on my brain. After all, according to Beverage Digest, Gatorade owned a 76.3 percent market share in ‘07
for take-home sports drinks.
But Sarah Robb O’Hagan, Gatorade’s new CMO, has her work cut
out for her. The quite-capable marketer,
who has headed up marketing efforts for Virgin Entertainment Group, Atari, and Air
New Zealand, inherits some pressing
challenges: a dizzying array of line extensions,
terrible ads,
and folks like Vitamin Water, Powerade and energy drinks gulping up mindshare
and market share.
However, the iconic American brand has made one move that
seems to be on the right path. While
some in the industry panned it as a little more than CGI eye candy,
the Derek Jeter Super Bowl ad for G2 was smart branding. What the spot lacked in creative juice, it
made up for in strategic vision.
Gatorade is a cultural institution. Just think, how many coaches have you seen
doused with it on TV after the big win?
But there is an immense opportunity for Gatorade to claim a
spot as a lifestyle brand beyond the context of the big game without watering
down its clear sports-oriented positioning.
Vitamin Water, Red Bull and the like are claiming lifestyle real estate both
on the court and off, extending their meaning in highly flexible, malleable
ways. What will be Gatorade’s broader
lifestyle play? (And I’m not just
talking about when or where I drink it.)
I’m looking forward to seeing O’Hagan’s game plan as
she takes the reins as head coach of the marketing department. PepsiCo needs to drink in the new realities
of brand malleability and embrace the idea that Gatorade can quench more than
just a thirst for sports. The brand has
as many flavors of fans as it does – um, flavors. Maybe even more than the number of weak and all-too-obvious
sports and beverage puns in this blog post.
 |
