A Steven Novak Creation
Table of Contents
The Creation of Gatorade Product Features Current Branding Strategy Demographic Competition SWOT Analysis SWOT Continued Marketing Objectives Marketing Objectives Continued Citations p. 1 p. 2 p. 3 p. 4 p. 5 p. 6 p. 7 p. 8 p. 9 p. 10
I
Creation of Gatorade
Gatorade started in the summer of 1965 with the realization that the Florida Gators football players could not make it through practice without struggling. Many players reported being dehydrated and playing sluggish during team drills. So team physicians got together and determined what exactly was the problem. The athletes suffered from a lack of electrolytes and carbohydrates, which was not being replenished with just water. The group of four physicians blended a drink that had the perfect balance of carbohydrates and electrolytes. The drink would prove to help the Gator football team perform better on the field, so naturally they called the drink “Gatorade.” What happened next was rather remarkable because the players started performing better. They finished with a record of 7-4 that season and the next season they finished with a record of 9-2, winning the Orange Bowl for the first time in school history. Eventually, the drink moved into the professional leagues and the first team to adopt it was the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs had trouble practicing in the stifling heat of Missouri’s summer afternoons and they kept it on the sidelines the whole year. It resulted in the Chiefs beating the heavily favored Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl VI. Soon it became popular to have Gatorade on the sidelines and it started the sports drink category. By 1985, Gatorade had expanded its research in sports science by building the Gatorade Sports Science Institute. The Institute allows them to better understand the human body, its needs during the stress of competition and how to improve their products.
1
Product