At the recent annual meeting of the "2024 19th Beverage Cold Drink Carnival Summer Marketing", Mr. Zhang Zhijian, Marketing Director of Shanghai Pepsi Cola Beverage Co., Ltd., brought us the sharing of "Beverages and Sports and Sports Marketing of Pepsi".
Mr. Zhang Zhijian, Marketing Director of Shanghai Pepsi-Cola Beverage Co., Ltd
Gatorade with its roots in sports
"The Gatorade brand can't be called sports marketing, because Gatorade itself is born for sports, so its genes are sports." Mr. Zhang Zhijian said.
FMCG understands that Gatorade was born in 1965 and has more than 50 years of sports science research background. It was developed in 1965 by researchers at the University of Florida, and its name, Gatorade, is derived from the nickname "Gators" for University of Florida students. That's where Gatorade comes in. This also lays an excellent foundation for its future development in the sports world.
Gatorade has always been closely associated with sports. Since its inception in 1965, in the 60s and 70s, it has achieved very close cooperation with the American Football League, using the influence of league sports and the authority and science of consumers, and quickly bringing this product to consumers, and in the 90s, Gatorade turned its attention to basketball, signed a contract with Michael Jordan, and closely connected Gatorade with the NBA, so as to take the first step towards Asia, and then to the world.
Some of the stars signed by Gatorade are showcased
Empowering sports stars
While signing contracts with sports players such as football and the NBA, Gatorade Sports Science Institute will also tailor a series of programs for sports players to achieve better results in the game, "not a marketing agency, not a grass team, this is our unique brand equity." ”
Gatorade Institute of Sports Science
As a result, Gatorade is in a better position to partner with sports stars and signed, and athletes are better able to bring Gatorade to consumers. Here Mr. Zhang Zhijian gave us the example of Jordan: Jordan is the core figure who went global as an NBA sport and brought this sport to the world. After Gatorade signed with Jordan, he used his power to bring Gatorade to the world.
G-Tick Challenge builds a arena for consumers
Gatorade's IP for everyday consumers, through a series of competitions held in colleges and universities, sports venues, etc., encourages consumers to step on the court and sweat and realize their dreams. Although they have different social identities in their daily lives, they are able to show the dedication and love of professional athletes when they step on the court, as evidenced by Gatorade's "G-Tick Challenge".
G-Tick Challenge Course Construction
Mr. Zhang Zhijian said: "In some remote mountainous areas, or places with more difficult conditions, it takes more effort to achieve such achievements and dreams. Gatorade has been helping to create new and good sports facilities and venues in such areas. "That's more work that the G-Tick Challenge will do. Since 2018, Gatorade has been building standardized venues in marginal areas every year to improve sports conditions for children in remote areas and help them realize their dreams.
At the end, Mr. Cheung Chi Kin shared Gatorade's Slogan: "Fuels you forward." It is not just a slogan, but also represents the spirit of sportsmanship and the continuous progress of consumers to achieve their dreams and actively achieve their goals.
(Based on the keynote speech of Mr. Zhang Zhijian, Marketing Director of Shanghai Pepsi-Cola Beverage Co., Ltd., "2024 19th Annual Conference of Beverages and Cold Drinks", without my review)