Free Gatorade Beyond Sports Drink Essay Sample

The perspective of company as ‘more than just a sports drink’ is highlighted in the work of W., where the author has expressed the company  as a healthy product. The idea of company was conceived after athletes started developing heat-related  diseases in the 1960s. According to a report by the New York suggests that during the 1960s some football players lost as much as fifteen pounds after playing a game.

Drinking larger quantities of water was not a suitable solution, as it leads to stomach cramps and taking a large intake of salt led to leg cramps. This inspired Cade and Shires, creators of company, to create a drink that will benefit athletes to perform and recover quickly after a game.W.  suggests that the creator employed a medical advisor and developed a drink, which would have an appropriate quantity of glucose and salt.

According to initial reports, company comprised of lemon juice, sugar, sodium, phosphate and water. This new drink was tried and test on freshman players of the ‘Gators’ team first, where it proved to successfully replenish the energy, water and mineral level lost by an athlete after a strenuous workout in the heat. The ‘healing powers’ of company made it more than just a sports drink for the athletes of that team and soon the drink received a lot of popularity. W. describes that the drink received its popularity due to the high nutritional value given by the drink. In his publication, he argues that athletes can enhance their performances by taking drinks, which are rich in the electrolyte; Gatorade gives just that. He explained that working out results in losing body electrolytes through sweat and hence, such a drink will help the immune system of the body to recover its lost chloride, potassium and sodium.

By the 1990s, company had established itself as premium sports drinks; however, there was still work to be done as a market leader. W., applaud the marketing minds of the Gatorade drinks. All analysts agree that the drink has a lot of features and benefits they were having difficulty of enhancing their consumer market, which during the 1990s comprised of mostly professional athletes. However, by the fall of 1990, the market of company  was about to take a turn for the good. In the U.S, the advertisement campaigns were more focused on giving a message rather than the product. The advertisement campaigns of the drink included “Gatorade Moments,” defined by drinking the drink during ones-free  time or during a match. This lead to sales figures reaching above $900 million annually.  However, competitors like Coca-Cola and their sports products were not too far behind. However, in 1991, the executives at Gatorade made a decision to sign Michael Jordon on a ten-year deal, which was worth thirteen and half-million dollars. The new message in the advertisement campaigns read, “Be like Mike.” Analysts consider that decision to be the shining moment in the entire existence of the company. The influence and stardom of Michael Jordon and the benefits of the drink lead to a worldwide rise in sales.  

The impact of the deal can be described in the New York Magazine’s article of ‘Liquid Assets’  which attributed the success of the drink to the prowess of Michael Jordan. The ads showed that Jordon was steered by his consumption of the Gatorade drinks. When he played basketball, Michael used up a lot of his energies but Gatorade was always with him to replenish his energies. The advertisement demonstrated that the success of Jordon was partially due to his consumption of the Gatorade drink. The wisdom behind using a star athlete like Jordan for their commercials was to illustrate to their consumers what kind of lifestyle company can bring to them and by drinking their products the consumers will attain “super star powers” like Jordon. It proved to be a very successful campaign.    

The different flavors of company are not just not a varied taste, in fact, as explained by W. different Gatorade drinks comprise of a different quantity of carbohydrates in the form of sucrose and dextrose. Hence, athletes can consume Gatorade according to the level of exercise they performed. Stengler (2010), in his publication, has reinforced this opinion and has added into the list of benefits for using Gatorade. Most notably among them are the absorbing capabilities of drink after its ingestion into the blood stream. Makers of the drink have carefully prepared it to have an osmolality level close to what is contained in the human blood stream. The author states that this is the primary reason for the immediate effects shown by the drink and why it is preferred over other sports drinks.

The publication ofW. also provides with some insights regarding the effectiveness of this drink. The author has used the success of the drink in a number of different sports organizations, such as the NBA, MLB, NFL, Tennis, PGA, MLS as evidence to the efficiency and nutritionally value provided by the drink.

Gatorade may serve the purpose of being a sports drink. However, it much more than just a drink. In 2007, the American Benchmark Press, featured Gatorade as the ‘Icons of the American Market Place: Consumer Brand Excellence’ article. The article analyzes the various marketing tools utilized by the company. Furthermore, publications of W. and George, Palmer and Penetar demonstrate that Gatorade introduced various new flavors and brands to increase their market share.  The process of introducing a number of sub-line products for Gatorade began in 1997, when they first launched the “Gatorade Frost." The decision to launch this product was made, when the executive body of Gatorade realized that they can increase their sales by expanding their target market from athletes to everyone. Hence, the primary purpose of this product was to appeal to a more general public, including those individuals who do not engage in any competitive sporting activity. This product was a success, and the company introduced new flavors such as the ‘Alpine Snow’, ‘Glacier Freeze’ and ‘Whitewater Splash’. These three flavors were once again targeting a general audience, in addition to an athlete and provided their consumers with a wide choice that helped in avoiding monotony. The response from the consumers was exactly what the company had hoped for; they liked them. In a report by Gray (2000), which comprised of consumers’ opinions regarding these new drinks, these products were called “light tasting fruit flavor blends." The most notable difference between these new products and the original Gatorade was the high volume of sucrose in them, which appealed to both the athletes and the general public.

By the year 2000, company was firmly placed in the sports beverage industry. According to a report by W. company had a market share of seventy-five per cent in terms of sports drinks in the U.S. Soon the realization to avoid the monotony and the need to expand and use the established brand image of Gatorade led to the company entering the industry of energy bars in 2001. They called their energy bar as the “Gatorade Energy Bar," which consisted of a high proportion of puffed grains, corn syrup, proteins and carbohydrates. This product was a hit among athletes who needed to increase their energy levels after completing a practicing or playing session. Furthermore, the high quantity of protein in this product protected athletes from suffering injuries and fracturing bones. Apart from the nutritional value and an alternative energy product for athletes, the ‘Gatorade Energy Bar’ enhanced the number of products produced by Gatorade. Gatorade is regarded as a nutritional partner of any athlete. The success story of Gatorade continued, when they introduced a new line of products, called the ‘Gatorade Performance series’ in 2001, which comprised of a special line of nutritious products for sportsmen. The series consisted of a number of energy products such as, ‘Gatorade Protein Recovery Shake’, ‘Gatorade Nutrition Shake’, Gatorade Carbohydrates Energy Drinks’ and the ‘Gatorade Nutrition Bar’. All these products were developed after conducting an extensive research on the needs and wants of athletes and regular individuals. To align with the company brand image, all of these products aid athletes and performers to replenish their lost energies by providing energy. Hence, Gatorade came to be known as a sports brand, which non- sporting people can enjoy as well; enhancing its significance from just being a sports drink.

The constant introduction of new and improved products was an indication for the consumers of Gatorade that their product is constantly improving, and the company is striving to the ever increasing physical demands of various sports. Furthermore, the affiliation with popular sports personalities have been a constant trend. In 2008, Gatorade produced a drink, which was labeled ‘Tiger’, and Tiger Woods was made the brand ambassador of this new product. The sales figures have remained high for it as well. The publication by Suozzo (2010), demonstrates that the ‘G-Series’ introduced by Gatorade in 2010 was another revolutionary product line in terms of branding. The goal of the product was to categorize the Gatorade products into three groups; before, during and after a workout. The branding made consumers realize that they do not just need one, but three Gatorade products to achieve optimum results. The G-series also received popularity as it was one of the few drinks that is divided in specific groups, informing consumers about which drink to take first.

There are a number of factors that make Gatorade more than just a sports drink. In the publication  the author is most impressed by the brand image of the company. The taste of the drink, the contents and the color of the drinks is very appealing to the general public. And according to a research conducted by W. , Gatorade drinks are preferable than water itself in U.S. W. adds that any product produced by Gatorade is thought to have a good nutritional value.

The reviews of different authors and literature have helped the research deduce a lot of fact regarding Gatorade. It is the pioneer in the industry of sports beverages and has constantly strived to improve their products and introduce new one. The most significant drink about Gatorade is its brand image. Currently, there are a number of other energy drinks available; however, Gatorade has an advantage over the other brands. The primary reason for these are its marketing technique and contents. Its affiliation with top athletes and sporting organization has made it more than just a sports drink; it is now a trustworthy name. All their products have achieved success due to their name; even their energy bar was well received.

 

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