Gatorade Running Teaser Ads To Jump-Start Sales For '09
Gatorade is "looking to jump-start sales" by running "teaser television, print and online ads that ask: 'What's G?,'" according to Vranica & McKay of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. The campaign features notable Gatorade endorsers like Yankees SS Derek Jeter, Heat G Dwyane Wade and Basketball HOFer Bill Russell, but missing from the ads are "Gatorade's name and its familiar lightning-bolt logo." The brand is "trying to build buzz by holding back details so that consumers will hunt for information and clues online." The ads are the first campaign from Gatorade's new ad shop, Omnicom Group's TBWA/Chiat/Day, and have "already sparked a bit of online debate among consumers." One consumer on a message board wrote the commercial is "great, but it is frustrating when you don't know what they are trying to advertise." One columnist "initially thought one of the teasers was for Nike." Vranica & McKay report the ads are part of a "big rebranding effort for the Gatorade brand that includes a redesigned package." A source indicated that the company is "expected to spend roughly" $150M on the ad push, and added that it will include a commercial during NBC's coverage of Super Bowl XLIII. PepsiCo, Gatorade's parent company, "has a lot riding on the new ad campaign" -- Beverage Digest indicated that despite controlling 76% of the sports-drink market, Gatorade volume slipped 0.9% in '07, losing market share to Coca-Cola's Powerade. But the new work "marks a major creative shift for the brand." The new ads now have a "more urban feel," and the use of rappers Lil Wayne and Murs in the spots "is a major change from past ads that have featured sports stars such as Michael Jordan, Mia Hamm and Tiger Woods showing off their talents." A source indicated that new Gatorade ads also are "expected to use ordinary consumers" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/7).
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