Gatorade enters action sports

Via Transworld Biz:

Gatorade recently signed a multiyear deal with 14-year-old skater Chaz Ortiz, who will be the cornerstone of the sports drink company’s action sports campaign, according to a story published today on the Sports Business Journal’s Web site. The brand also signed snowboarder Ellery Hollingsworth and BMX star Nigel Sylvester.

My take
From my perspective it's always cool to see giant brands like Gatorade begin to develop a presence in action sports. Of course there are always haters, who are going to hate regardless, but as long as they're sincerely trying to become an endemic player, it can only be a good thing for both the sport and the brand. Gatorade is an absolutely 100% authentic part of ball-and-stick sports, so there's no reason think the same can't be true of action sports with the right moves.

In particular I'll be interested to see what they do with the product itself. One option, of course, is simply to sell the same product to a new market. I don't think that would be wrong, but there's all kinds of opportunities to do interesting stuff with new products, packaging, and branding. I'm hoping that they have some cool new offerings down the road that show their commitment to action sports.

New Gatorade Packaging

Gatorade recently released new packaging for all of it's products. Here's a quote from the press release, from Craig Horswill, senior research fellow:

Gatorade understands different people have different wants – you can’t speak to athletes and active people with a ‘one size fits all’ mentality. What athletes and active individuals do share is the need for adequate hydration, which is delivered through Gatorade, the most thoroughly researched sports beverage in the world – and we know nothing rehydrates, refuels or replenishes better.

My Take
With the first part of his quote, Craig hits the nail on the head. You can’t speak to athletes and active people with a ‘one size fits all’ mentality. In the past, I would have considered Gatorade to be a traditional brand but this is the mentality of a lifestyle brand. If they continue to use this philosophy moving forward, they should come up with some very focused products for the broad range of athletes they aim to serve.

Red Bull Soapbox Race

Red Bull visited Cincinnati's Mount Adams neighborhood last weekend for their well known Soapbox Race. It was a fun, entertaining event that also gave Red Bull the opportunity to let people try it's latest product, Red Bull cola (which I thought tasted pretty good). Like all Red Bull marketing events, the Soapbox Race was not about the new product, it was a celebration of the brand's bold personality. The best representation of this personality was an entry called The Last Supper. True to the Red Bull brand, the driver boldly steered the extra long table from Jesus Christ's central position, apostles on either side.



Many people were surprised Red Bull hosted their event in Cincinnati, thinking that a larger city would be more appropriate for the promotion. However, Red Bull knows that its audience doesn't exist only in big cities. Since the beginning, they've created relationships one at a time by giving away their energy drink to anyone who needed the kick. Even after many years of success, events like the Soapbox Race show that Red Bull still understands that they're selling an idea, not just a product.