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Gatorade, a sports drink brand, was created nearly 60 years ago by a group of doctors at the University of Florida. The name of the drink was inspired by the university’s mascot, the Gators. The doctors observed that football players in Florida were suffering from heat exhaustion and needed to replace their electrolytes. They developed a drink for that purpose, which initially had a bad taste and was hard to swallow.
However, they added lemon juice, and the drink became popular. Two years later, the Gators won the orange bowl for the first time. Since then, Gatorade has become a household name in sports and is widely used in professional, amateur, and youth sports events.
The Gatorade shower, in which players douse their coach in ice-cold Gatorade after a championship win, became a football tradition three decades ago.
Gatorade, a sports drink brand, has been a fixture in sports for decades. Even though Gatorade dropped its Super Bowl halftime show sponsorship, the betting on the color of the Gatorade shower at the big game is still a popular thing. Recently, the brand shifted its sponsorship to focus on supporting college and women’s sports, which led to the discontinuation of its NASH social hockey league sponsorship. The company’s dominance in the sports drink market, with about two-thirds of the market share, makes it a tough competitor.
However, Powerade, one of Coca-Cola’s brands, is taking a direct shot at Gatorade with its updated design and formulation. The new Powerade has twice as many electrolytes as the old version, and the company claims it beats out Gatorade’s thirst quencher variety. Additionally, the new version includes vitamins like C and B12, which Gatorade does not have.
Powerade’s new packaging highlights the difference between the two brands, and although Powerade currently holds only about 15% of the market, Coca-Cola’s team believes there is still plenty of room for growth. They note that people are seeking “healthier hydration,” which may give Powerade an edge over Gatorade in the marketplace.
The business’s approach for sports drinks doesn’t end there though.
Powerade is promoted as the less expensive hydration choice. Body armor, the company’s sister brand that oversees the Power Aid brand within Coke’s beverage portfolio, with a stronger emphasis on health and wellbeing.
New ingredients, packaging, and marketing have given the brands a powerful punch that Coke thinks will destroy Gatorades’ monopoly on the market. One piece of advise, though: beware of those gators.
What do you think of that epic war of 2 famous sport drinks? Share your opinion in the comment section below.
