Gatorade Lightning Bolt: Part of Every Athlete’s Success

I’m hoping by now that almost all consumers have seen this ad by Gatorade titled “Lightning Bolt”.  The ad starts off by depicting tired athletes during a football game and the school’s science professors oncocting a beverage that will refresh and energize the players.  The rest of the commercial showcases athletes training, performing, and celebrating key moments with quick clips of Gatorade logos and cups.  The ending is what we are all accustomed to with the “With From Within” tagline.  Does this advertisement’s message come through clearly?  Does it inspire action from the viewers, leading to incremental sales for Gatorade?

The former about message communication is simple and clear.  Gatorade is training and celebrating with you, as you reach for the height of your sport.   The hydration beverage shows successful athletes during different cycles of their sports life to communicate the fact that winning doesn’t just happen over night.  This requires regimented training and preparation first.  Even as an athlete competes and finally reaches the pinnacle of their respective sports, Gatorade is a partner with them at these different touchpoints.  So the message remains pretty clear that if you want to win, you need Gatorade to help you train.  And when you reach the end goal, Gatorade is there to celebrate with you.

The Gatorade beverage in its original state, glass bottle with “Gatorade” written on tape. Image sourced from fastocreate.com

The latter question is a little more challenging to answer.  Whether sales are truly incremental (or wholly generated) as a result of the commercial are very difficult to track.  However, consider the timing of when this commercial was introduced: during NCAA March Madness when Powerade released their own ad (read my analysis on that commercial here).  The point of Gatorade’s advertisement may not actually have been to stimulate sales, rather it was to protect their sales.  Since Powerade always plays up its underdog status, and there were many people watching March Madness, Gatorade needed to react and maintain their presence.  So the key measure of whether the “Lightning Bolt” media spot actually reached measured success may actually been seeing that sales levels held constant to prior year or prior months, rather that a decline in sales due to Powerade’s activity.

Large corporations – or business units in this case – typically conduct a high level of tracking to monitor competitive activity.  That’s just good business sense in order to preserve your own level of success.  Gatorade’s message is clear and a continuation of what they have advertised in the past few years.  Gatorade will help you prepare and later celebrate the victory.  It certainly will be interesting to answer the question of whether sales activity shifted in any direction as a result of this ad, but only those within the two beverage units will truly know the answer to that.

Powerade Continues March Madness Underdog Commercials

Powerade continues its underdog status with another March Madness #PowerThrough campaign

Have you seen the latest Powerade commercial?  It doesn’t explicitly say it’s for March Madness (which they did with their Coke Zero March Madness Campaign), but it’s still the same underlying message, and they are releasing this right when March Madness started.  It seems that I was wrong after only seeing a Coke Zero commercial for March Madness this year.  Coca-Cola is not only leveraging from a position of strength with their zero-calorie soft drink, but also continuing to capitalize on their underdog status with their sports drinks.  Why is there a need to also release a commercial and reminder for Powerade during March Madness, especially since they have already done an ad spot for Coke Zero?  Won’t this be conflicting, and hurt their overall business?

In the spirit of continuing their March Madness underdog theme, releasing a commercial that celebrates and glorifies the little guy is the right thing to do.  Consider also the tweets the Powerade account sent out to support the Harvard Crimson basketball team which won its first NCAA game over New Mexico.  Consider also the Sweet 16 round still involved three double-digit-ranking basketball schools in this year’s do-or-die tournament: Florida Gulf Coast University, Oregon, and La Salle.  Even the Final Four include Wichita State, which is the ninth-ranked seed for the West region.

Here’s the Powerade commercial below:

While the Coke Zero commercial focuses on the spectator, Powerade caters to the athlete.  A different target market, a different user.  That alone should imply minimal cannibalization since these are two different groups of people.  By implementing a dual brand strategy this year – instead of switching the focus to a broader audience base as I had previously believed – Coca-Cola is increasing their investment and support behind this event.  Although this should not hurt their business, there is minimal cross-benefit since these are two different beverage segment  and two different buyers.  In actuality, Coke Zero may simply be a blocking tactic to keep competitive soda messaging from dominating the tv screens during the tournament, and Powerade may be a investmentt tactic for their college messaging to show their collegiate athlete support.

At the very root of this commercial is Powerade’s message that they are still the underdog and they dare you to doubt them.  Which ultimately implies that Powerade may have some plans this year to trim Gatorade’s share leadership beyond March Madness.  Keep on the lookout for more Powerade activity.

Coke Zero Targets Men For 2013 March Madness

Have you seen the latest Coke Zero commercial?  If not, click on the link below, also found from Advertising Age’s article detailing Coke Zero’s new advertising agency, Droga5.

Unlike last year’s Powerade commercial, this year’s March Madness commercial by Coca-Cola features Coke Zero.  The question is why focus on a soda rather than the sports drink?

Inherently, the message and audience is geared toward a completely different type of beverage consumer.  The Powerade commercial was a signal to Gatorade that Powerade realizes that they are the underdogs in the sports drink segment, and they must work harder in order to compete with the sports drink giant.  It was targeted toward the athlete.  This year’s March Madness commercial broadens the reach by focusing on men, not just athletes in particular.

An office worker drinks a Coke Zero to confirm it’s not his fault he’s working on the March Madness brackets during work time. From creativity-online.com.

Coke Zero wants to identify with the spectators, not just the athletes.  The message is that even the casual sports fan can enjoy everything and participate in March Madness by drinking Coke Zero and picking the winners.  The change in Coke Zero’s focus is understandable, given that CSDs (carbonated soft drinks) are a larger segment than sports drinks and offers greater sales potential.  Also, why would you fight from the position of an underdog (Powerade) when you can  fight from a position of strength, and build on your leadership (Coke Zero leads zero-calorie CSD market)?

Keeping in line with Coca-Cola’s theme on focusing on the intangibles, there is no mention of calories.  Notice how Coca-Cola’s tagline is “Open Happiness” and Diet Coke’s tagline is “Stay Extraordinary”?  There is no focus on tangible attributes, and tries to position the beverage as a lifestyle choice.  For Coke Zero, men do not want to be reminded that they can “Enjoy Everything” by consuming a beverage without any calories.  The less the messaging focuses on calories (and more on sports or happiness), the better it should perform.

All in all, the winning potential is great, and offers them the ability to leverage themselves from a position of strength.  Smart move to switch the focal point from athlete to casual fan and spectator.

Super Bowl Series: Kraft MiO Fit Needed More Than 30 Seconds

The fourth and final installment of BevWire’s 4-part Super Bowl Series focuses on Kraft MiO Fit’s ad with the 2013 Super Bowl.  Along with the standard participation of Pepsi and Coca-Cola, this year we will also see Kraft MiO and SodaStream.  The Super Bowl Series will take a look at each of these beverage manufacturers’ involvement with the Super Bowl.

Click through to read the rest of the Super Bowl Series:

Part 1: Super Bowl Series: Did Pepsi’s Crowd-Sourced Halftime Show Add Any Value?

Part 2: Super Bowl Series: SodaStream Banned Commercial Help Build Brand Recognition

Part 3: Super Bowl Series: Coke’s Social Engagement Effort Delivers Mixed Reviews

While SodaStream made a lot of noise for it’s banned Super Bowl commercial, Kraft MiO also generated some buzz with its participation in the Super Bowl this year.  Having revealed that they will be featuring the Fit during the Super Bowl, they came up with this teaser campaign.  See the two videos below:

It appears that through the teasers, Kraft is aligning their liquid flavor enhancer with American patriotism.  With the colors of the American flag and the “America the Beautiful” being whistled in the background, would you agree?  The actual game day spot titled “Anthem” showcases Tracy Morgan asking you to welcome change to make America better.  After seeing the commercial, do you agree that MiO Fit is changing America for the better?  Did the commercial “work”? See the actual Super Bowl spot below:

Although MiO Fit could really be changing America for the better, it is highlighting a problem that no one really considered a problem in the first.  Was there anything wrong with Gatorade or Powerade that warranted improvement?  Most people do not think there was anything wrong with these sports drinks.  MiO Fit faces an uphill battle no matter what it does because it’s not just creating a product in an existing segment (flavor enhancers).  It is creating a new segment (liquid flavor enhancers) and must bring attention to a problem that no one was previously aware of.  In that perspective, it is changing America for everyone’s betterment since MiO Fit offers hydration and electrolytes to anyone with a bottle of water.  That is their end goal: raising awareness that there is a better delivery system out there for electrolytes.

In spite of this message, the feeling was that it lacked in overall effectiveness – the commercial did not work.  If you did not know already know about the MiO Fit, or if you were not a beverage fanatic, you would probably have dismissed this bland commercial.  Most successful Super Bowl commercials are funny or attention-grabbing, but it seems that the Fit’s commercial didn’t have enough of either component.  Super Bowl commercials tend to provide an easily followed storyline that can be communicated in 30 seconds or 60 seconds, using more imagery than words to convey this message.  Consider the GoDaddy Bar Rafaeli Smart-Sexy commercial.  Or the Doritos Goat For Sale commercial.  Both were memorable because it was funny, or it got your attention.  The Mio Fit commercial involved a lot of talking in 30 seconds, forcing the viewer to pay close attention in order to clearly articulate the message.  It lost the audience’s attention.  If it had kept their attention, then listening to the references about changing chicken nuggets and boy bands was actually funny.  Maybe if the spot was 60 seconds instead of 30, it would have had a stronger effect.  But cramming so much speech into 30 seconds without the showmanship of other Super Bowl spots is a recipe for disaster.  In the end, it seems this would be more suited for a YouTube release than a Super Bowl TV spot.

While the Kraft MiO Fit’s success cannot be judged by commercials alone, let alone one commercial, this one fell short of expectations.  It will depend on what else the liquid flavor enhancer comes up with in the future to promote this extension.  All great products fulfill a need, it’s just tough to get the right message across with only 30 seconds.

Kraft Launches Line Extension For MiO

From its March 2011 introduction, Kraft MiO has expanded beyond the traditional sweetener of adding flavors to plain water.  They bulked up the product line-up in 2012 with MiO Energy,  characterized by two new flavors (Green Thunder and Black Cherry) containing 60mg of caffeine per serving.  At the end of 2012, Kraft MiO revealed that they will be announcing something to supplement their product line-up of liquid flavor enhancers.  Turns out that announcement was for Kraft’s MiO Fit,  a line extension with electrolytes and B vitamins, and 18 servings in each bottle.  The MiO Fit will come in two flavors: Berry Blast and Arctic Grape.

When the MiO Energy launched, it extended the product line-up into the energy drinks spectrum to compete against Red Bull, Monster Energy and the likes.  With the MiO Fit, Kraft is serving notice to that they will be going up against Gatorade and Powerade in the sports drinks beverage segment.  How will the MiO Fit do relative to its direct and indirect competition?  Will its success come at the expense of other MiO products, competitive beverages, or from consumers that do not typically drink these types of beverages?

For the MiO Fit to succeed in the sports drink segment, another beverage manufacturer will be losing, though not necessarily in the same segment.  The MiO Fit does not grow the beverage industry, rather it transfers a shopper’s purchase dollars from another segment and/or another beverage manufacturer.  Beverages as a category include soft drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, juices and so much more.  Therefore, people that end up buying the MiO Fit could be purchasing it instead of another sports drink, energy drink, or some other liquid refreshment.  The only beverage segment that wins will be bottled water, since the MiO Fit must be squeezed into water to take full effect.

In the short term, this certainly will lend extra attention to the sport drinks beverage segment.  There may be more discount activity or media promotions from Gatorade and Powerade to deter consumers from buying the MiO Fit.  Kraft will also be putting media support behind the MiO Fit to ensure consumers know there is a legitimate third sports drink option out there on the market.  For example, Kraft has invested significant funding to feature the MiO during this year’s Superbowl (read more here).  This has all the signs that some level of price or promotional activity may occur very soon to fight for your attention and your wallet dollars.  Certainly the winners here will be the consumers that drink sports drinks.

It is also important to note that the MiO Fit gives sports drinks another location in the grocery store to connect with consumers.  In addition to being stocked in the beverage aisles like Gatorade and Powerade, the MiO may be a product that can make it to the checkout counter.  With its small size and no need to be kept cold, it can very well make it closer to the last point of purchase and gain some impulse purchase dollars.  Meanwhile, the closest Gatorade or Powerade will get is the end of the checkout line beside candy, gum, and magazines since it has a dedicated cooler space.

Kraft’s deeper drive into beverages has certainly added many options to the marketplace.  Consumers that find plain water boring can now squeeze in some flavoring.  And when they find this flavoring boring, they can change it up for some MiO Energy or MiO Fit.  It’s very clear Kraft MiO is still very new to the market, and that there are many more extension opportunities.  They have not even expanded to offer their existing flavors in larger or smaller serving sizes.  And there are still other beverage segments where a MiO may change the landscape (ie tea or juices). So while Kraft introduced the MiO in 2011, there has already been extensions in 2012 and 2013.  Let’s keep an eye on what they may do during the year, and what they plan on launching come 2014.

Dr Pepper Highlights Individuality in “/1″ Campaign

Starting today, Dr Pepper will be launching an extension to their previous T-shirt “I’m a Pepper” campaign.  The new campaign titled “/1″ highlights the character’s uniqueness and that they are indeed one of a kind – 1/1 – truly unrivaled in what they do.  Dr Pepper’s advertising agency conducted research to ensure that those numbers represented in the video are statistically accurate, and that these people are peerless in what they do (how many models-turned-boxers do you really know out there?).  Dr Pepper says that the characters featured are real-life people and while they may not be world famous, these individuals are renowned within their respective fields (boxing, roller derby, and air guitar).

It’s worthy to note that this campaign extends to focus on Diet Dr Pepper as well.  Traditionally their commercials and features have been separate, but they have chosen to include Diet Dr Pepper as well in this campaign.  Dr Pepper TEN likely was left off because the messaging of “Not For Women” is on solid footing right now.  As seen from the commercial below, Dr Pepper wants to highlight your individuality in choosing not just Dr Pepper, but also Diet Dr Pepper

So would you rate these commercials as successful?  Do they get your attention? Does it make you pick up a Dr Pepper when you are at the supermarket or convenience store, especially when Coke or Pepsi also also available for your purchase?

I think it does…with some caveats.  While the messaging is solid and connects with the viewer, it still has a strong chance to get lost among all the other commercials that are playing.  Not to mention that Coca-Cola and Pepsi have more money to spend on advertising;  the chances of you being bombarded with soda commercials are quite high and remembering Dr Pepper over a longer time period are quite low.

Dr Pepper’s series of commercial stands apart from how other soda companies have advertised their trademark beverages.  Coca-Cola talks about happiness when you drink their carbonated soft drinks (Open Happiness) and Pepsi advertises on living in the moment (Live For Now).  Dr Pepper turns the focus to you, on how you are special and different from everyone else out there.  In today’s society, everyone wants to be known for being themselves, so Dr Pepper has tapped into how individuals want to think which makes it easier for them to identify themselves with Dr Pepper.  In my opinion, this is a stronger message than being happy or living in the moment.

Still, it is a matter of whether this will translate to any form of wins for Dr Pepper.  Are consumers more likely to buy more Dr Pepper because of this commercial?  Will these purchases come at the expense of Coke, Pepsi, or some other non-Dr Pepper-owned beverage brand?  Keep in mind that Dr Pepper also has to compete with other beverage products, like Red Bull, Gatorade, Nestle Water and the like.  At the supermarket or convenience store’s point of purchase, some of these products will undoubtedly be on sale and make that decision to choose Dr Pepper even harder.  It may come down to whether you are willing to pay more to be unique.

So the next time you are purchasing a soft drink – any drink actually – will you choose Dr Pepper because it reminds you of your individuality?