Gatorade Executive Summary

The growth and survival of a plant depends on the reactions that occur internally called photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is a reaction that captures the sun’s energy and converts it, water, and carbon dioxide into glucose, with a byproduct of oxygen. Glucose is a sugar that provides energy to allow for a plant to grow and live. This experiment is to test how photosynthesis can be sped up with a home solution. The variable being changed in this experiment is the solution that the plant is being given. In this instance, some of the plants will be given Gatorade, rather than water. The question being asked is, How well will a solution found in the home affect plant growth?

Gatorade is a flagship brand of PepsiCo and has a commanding 75% market share of the sports nutrition beverage marketplace globally, being sold into 80 different countries according to the latest PepsiCo annual report published in late 2011. Gatorade's success in branding and product marketing has actually expanded the global market for sports nutrition beverages during the late 1990s and into the 21rst century. Recently however the company has faced many channels including product line extensions of the last decade which failed to deliver strong results (Pollack, 1997) and a more critical analysis of their ingredients as many of their beverages are sold in public schools (Tallon, 2009). Despite these challenges however, Gatorade continues to experience strong market share and growth. The intent of this analysis is to evaluate and provide recommendations for each of the four areas of the marketing mix including product, price, promotion and place or distribution.

Gatorade is a company that manufactures sports nutrition products, and they usually have different athletes

However the commercial shows that gatorade is a critical part to success. As long as you work hard and of course, consume their products which not only leads to hydration, but also prepares you to work harder, you will me more like a professional athlete. The method that the Gatorade commercial uses is very simple but very effective. This method is using big names in sports such as Lebron James, Richard Sherman, and others in commercials that air during sporting events. The reason why this tactic is so effective is because the audience that Gatorade is targeting is watching a commercial during a break from an NBA game. All Gatorade has to do then is air a commercial about basketball and they have the watcher’s

“Sports drinks such as Gatorade promise better athletic performance, but in some cases they’re not really necessary. Water does the trick in many cases” (Kent). Gatorade is the most commonly sought after sports drink by athletes. Gatorade uses effective advertising to encourage consumers to buy their product. With the use of professional athletes and other celebrities, Gatorade’s ads persuade people everywhere their product is superior to consuming water. In this ad, Gatorade uses Dwyane Wade-who is a professional basketball player-to showcase their product. Wade is drinking Gatorade while in his Chicago Bulls uniform, showing Gatorade’s customers that he uses it to play well. Gatorade is willing to spend “...near-nine-figure…” amounts of money to persuade customers that drinking Gatorade is highly beneficial (“Who

Quaker Oats emerged from a turn of the century merger of three milling companies over 130 years ago. It grew to become one of the top companies in the world by providing reliable quality to its first customers. Quaker Oats has been able to build a reputation of offering healthy, wholesome breakfast foods by targeting female supermarket customers. Although advertising has gone from a “warm, healthy breakfast” to delivering messages about “vitamins and minerals essential to a female metabolism” (Standaert, 2003), the target market is the same. Quaker is also hoping to reach nutrition professionals and health-food retailers. According to Indra Nooyi, Chief Executive Officer of Pepsico (parent company of Quaker Oats), they “…do not market to kids under 12…” since they “…do not have a nutritious product…” they feel comfortable marketing to young kids (Farey-Jones, 2010).

The new products division of Palmer Jackson, Inc., a Cincinnati-based food and beverages manufacturer, successfully perfect a technique for dissolving common antioxidants such as Vitamin E and Selenium into high-glucose beverages. As a result a new line of sports beverages with added benefit of antioxidants occur. Palmer Jackson hired AccuityBrand, a brand consultancy specializing in developing product names and logos, to name and develop creative

Both competition and market size are of major importance when one explores the positioning of a product. In the case of Crescent Pure, this is vital as Ryan must determine the level of competition that will be faced if the product is marketed as either an energy or sport drink. In the case of an energy product, it should be noticed that there is heavy market dominance by Together, Freight, Razor, Torque and Steller, as they account for roughly 85% of the market. Despite this, it should be seen that the average price point for a 5oz can is $2.99 which is notably higher than Crescent’s $2.75 pricing. Additionally, the market size for sport drinks is of particular interest as it is estimated to grow to $8.5 billion by the year 2013. This, coupled with the fact that the market had grown 40% between the period 2010 – 2012, makes this sector of particular interest to PDB.

The Gatorade Company is mainly concerned with the manufacture and distribution of sporting equipment for commercial and domestic uses based on their knowledge of the best industry practices for the production of sporting equipment. The primary agenda of this market plan is for it to work as a strategy to guide the company on how to supply the customers of Gatorade with quality yet affordable products. This brand of sporting equipment will be produced and supplied in many different designs and colors that will be appropriate for both genders. Approximately half of the clients of the Gatorade brand, range between the ages of 18-34.These clients are ardent customers as they make the most purchases and are the company’s primary target. Gatorade sporting equipment are purchased more by those who dwell in the Northeast regions and Midwestern parts of the United States. This market plan focusses on the introduction of a range of Gatorade environmentally friendly brand of sporting equipment into the United States market.

Gatorade has emerged as the global leader in sports nutrition beverages by continually managing their brand to signify high energy, athletic excellence combine with one of the most efficient new product development and introduced processes in the beverage industry. As a result of being able to consistently synchronize these many components of their business so well, Gatorade today holds a 75% market share in the sports nutrition market globally today. Gatorade is owned by PepsiCo, which has made it possible for the company to sell in 80 countries today. Gatorade relies heavily on the PepsiCo distribution and retail network globally. Gatorades' revolutionary approach to managing branding for beverages has served to increase the total market size for this product category globally (Huang, Sarigöllü, 2012). Despite the continued widespread adoption of Gatorade as a healthy energy drink, the company has encountered resistance to its brand and the ingredients used for creating the many variations of Gatorade energy drinks (Tallon, 2009). Despite these setbacks the Gatorade brand continues to experience exceptional growth and stability over time.

Dr. Pepper/Seven Up, Inc. is the company which produces the brand Squirt. “Squirt is a caffeine-free, low sodium carbonated soft drink brand with a distinctive blend of grapefruit juices that gives it a tangy, fresh citrus taste. Squirt is the best selling carbonated grapefruit soft drink brand in the U.S.” (Kerin and Peterson, 2010) Kate Cox, the brand manager responsible for Squirt believes that market targeting and product positioning are key elements in Squirt’s advertising and promotional plan development. This case study will provide a summary and analysis of Dr. Pepper/Seven Up, Inc.’s options and the examination into the company’s strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities.

Nike will have a number of different marketing objectives for their isotonic sports drink, Nike Go. A main market objective will be to establish the isotonic drink as the most credible sports drink in the market. This will not just happen though, this can only happen through a lot of promotion and appeal. Creating strong consumer awareness is very important in gaining market share as it is a completely new product from Nike. This can be done through promoting the product, Nike Go, and allowing consumers to become aware that Nike has this new product. In order to establish brand recognition, there needs to be a capture of market shares in the sports drink segment. This will mean the product, Nike Go, will be well known

For Quaker: Economies of scale and higher penetration for Gatorade (increase in sales, points of sale, geography), especially in cold channels. Synergies between the two brands in cold and warm channels, and geographic presence as well as the combination of corporate and entrepreneurial mindsets.

Other key marketing mix failures that affected Snapple in the Quaker era fall under the promotion and product umbrellas. Quaker did not follow regular advertising schedules, ceased Snapple’s partnership with Wendy Kaufman, and beside reducing the numbers of flavors available, was also unable to introduce new ones quickly enough. The started selling the product in larger sizes (32 and 64 ounces bottle), but this initiative was another flop: bottles of that size were suitable for Gatorade, not for a leisure beverage like Snapple, customers simply would not buy it. These choices elicited negative response in consumers who stopped perceiving Snapple as a funky and fashionable brand; the beverage’s healthy reputation was damaged too. It is rather clear that Quaker’s executives did not fully understand the Snapple brand and erroneously modified its marketing mix. This failure resulted in the rise of a deleterious discrepancy between the experiential value and benefits customers were used to and expected form Snapple, and the brand’s altered nature. In synthesis, Quaker tried to transplant a marketing mix and execution strategy to a recipient who was not suitable for it, and Snapple, its distributors, and its customers ultimately suffered from

I’m an undergraduate student majoring in economy prepared the marketing plan for the purpose of learning and experience.