Powerade-Gatorade Advertising Dispute Passed On To FTC

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Coca-Cola has declined a recommendation from the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (NAD) that its new ads for Powerade Zero, which compare the product to the "full-calorie Gatorade, be modified to reflect the fact that a drink with no calories does not provide an energy boost," according to Todd Wasserman of BRANDWEEK. As a result, NAD Monday "referred the matter" to the FTC. NAD, after looking into the Powerade Zero campaign, cited an ad called "Search + Rescue," which shows "two climbers hanging on ropes attached to a mountain goat." When one climber drinks Gatorade, "his rope snaps while the other remains safe." NAD spokesperson Linda Bean: "The company wasn't disclosing the material differences and one is there's a carbohydrate content to Gatorade that Powerade doesn't have. That needs to be disclosed [if] you're comparing products." Wasserman noted NAD's ruling comes after Gatorade in April "filed a lawsuit against Powerade charging that the brand's ION4 sports drink made false claims in ads when it stated Powerade is an 'upgrade' over Gatorade" (BRANDWEEK.com, 5/4).