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.

55DSL logo remix contest

55DSL announces a contest to remix their logo:

Contestants will need to successfully reinterpret the Shield logo and represent 55DSL’s identity as an experimental, innovative brand. This will involve a balancing act of looking back at the label’s origins aswell as forward to its future, considering the graphic design, urban culture, extreme sports, and music influences that have always been at the heart of the label’s fun-loving, nonconformist attitude.

My take
This is a great example of a marketing tool that's great for a lifestyle brand, but terrible for a traditional brand. 55DSL's consumers are passionate and design-savvy, so they're a perfect fit for a contest like this. They'll be more than willing to invest time and energy in it, and the results will be awesome. On the other hand, imagine if JC Penney did something like this. I'm willing to bet it would be quite disappointing, because their consumers have no emotional investment in the brand.

The big takeaway is that, as we all know but sometimes forget, what's good for the goose isn't always good for the gander. Don't do user-generated content or social media just because it's possible, do it because it's right for your brand.