Marketing Plan of Gatorade

With so many pre-workout supplements out there, trying to determine which ones are the real deal can feel overwhelming. Do you choose the most eye-catching packaging, or the most appealing flavour? Are you sure you’re getting the best value?

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.

Powerade and Gatorade are two very successful companies; in some ways, they?re alike and in other areas, they are very different. To compare and contrast these companies, we?re going to look at a television commercial advertising they?ve each produced. Each of these commercials involve basketball as their sporting backdrop, but more importantly, both commercials utilize the rhetorical triangle: Ethnos, Pathos, and Logic. These three things are used to persuade the audience.

As you watch the Gatorade commercial you notice that Gatorade wasn’t only promoting hard work and dedication, but they were also promoting hydration, strength, power, and energy. Dedication is shown by waking up early in the morning, going for your daily jog or walk, while others are still sleeping. Staying hydrated helps the body keep moving and fully functional. Gatorade shows the importance of hydration by athletes taking breaks between workouts. Hydration also reduces the risk of cramps and soreness. Gatorade promotes energy by showing, before eating a Gatorade chewy the athlete did not have the energy he needed to start his morning run or weight lift. However, after eating the chewy they instantly gained energy. Power is symbolized by the lightning bolt, which

Gatorade is a company that has been making sports drinks since 1965. In 2001, they eventually branched off into making other sports nutrition products like energy drinks, energy bars, and nutrition shakes. Some of the company’s newest products include energy fruit chews. Gatorade advertisements reach millions of Americans every day, which undoubtedly increases their sales. My analysis will focus on a Gatorade ad featuring Dwayne Wade.

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

Have you ever gotten a sports drink instead of a soda thinking you were choosing a healthier option? Well this might change your perspective. Powerade and Gatorade are just watered down soda; yes,  it gives you electrolytes which is what you lose when you sweat, but that does not mean it is good for you. There are many other healthier ways of getting electrolytes than by just drinking a sugar drink. In the Powerade article written by the company does not argue about how water is not helpful to athletes and does not have the opposing argument. Although the gatorade article written by David R. Lamb they make it more persuasive than informational.

Each sports drink contains 21 grams of sugar are contained in a 12 ounce bottle of Gatorade. With most bottles being 32 ounces, the consumer is actually ingesting 56 grams of sugar. Although this is not healthy, it is less grams of sugar than an average soda per ounce. “In fact, Berkeley researchers say the sugar in sports drinks may be contributing to the child obesity epidemic by increasing their caloric intake”. For consumers that are less active, the added sugar in their diet is not recommended. Weight gain from extra calories has also been found to be a problem for less active consumers. “For people who are not exercising for at least one hour, 5 days per week, water is the best bet for staying hydrated.” Experts suggest sports drink consumption should be monitored by children’s parents. The best source of hydration for children continues to be water (Schaefer). Unless a person is participating in vigorous exercise for a long period of time, water is the best option for

It is important for anyone doing physical activity to keep well hydrated, for performance to be at its best. Sports drinks are specially formulated to help people rehydrate during or after exercise. Drinks such as Gatorade and Powerade contain the main electrolytes and carbohydrates, which are used by the working muscles, to maintain optimal sports performance (Medindia.net, 2014). The acidity of sports drinks and the sugars, is raising health concerns, and creates unnecessary calories. (Nutritionwonderland.com, 2014) Sports drinks are proven to only be necessary when working intensely for over 90 minutes, so an athlete running a marathon may need a Powerade, but water is the best source of hydration for exercise of 90min or less.

As well, sport drinks have the ability to provide a subject with an increased amount of endurance for their exercise. One reason why sport drinks have this capability is due to the carbohydrates found in the beverages. These carbohydrates exist as either of two sugars, sucrose and glucose-fructose, which provide the energy for the body that makes sport drinks better to use during exercise than water (Tsintzas 155). Carbohydrate consumption allows athletes to work harder for longer periods of time and to feel better while doing the exercises. A recent study determined that runners who had only water to drink lost speed during the race compared to those who had sport drinks. Also, performance time was faster in runners who consumed the sport drinks as opposed to water. It was only during the final 17.2 kilometres of the race that the performance times began to differ and the runners who drank the sport drinks ran faster (Tsintzas 156). Furthermore, the exercise intensity was higher towards the end of the race from those runners who had the sport drinks. As with most performance enhancing implements, sport drinks have potential drawbacks.

Sports nutrition products are designed to be taken in conjunction with an exercise and fitness regimen. These products include: proteins, mass gainers, pre-workout supplements, during-workout supplements, post-workout supplements, and gluten free products. In total, the sports nutrition sector generated approximately 43% of GNC’s retail sales for 2010. (Reuters, 2011)

| Weaknesses: * Pays extra payment for new flavor. * More expensive to produce than other sports drinks. * Deciding the segment to target. * How to position the product in the mind of its potential consumers

The highest percentage of the company sale is as a result of making impulse purchases; hence this requires a good point of sale support team. The market is very competitive. There are a couple of competitors that offer the same products as Gatorade, for example, MW, M.I.T and A.U.I. The experience that the firm has in the

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.

Nike Go is a new isotonic sports drink that is formulated in a way to aid people in rehydrating themselves during or after exercise. Nike Go is rich in carbohydrates as carbohydrates are the most efficient source of energy. It also has a number of sweeteners and preservatives. The main part of Nike Go is the electrolytes it contains, which include chloride, calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium, which diminish during exercise through sweat and bodily fluid. Nike Go replaces these electrolytes that are lost during sports and exercise which promotes proper hydration, an important factor in delaying the onset of fatigue during sports and exercise.