Ch. 4 - The Marketing Environment

Gatorade is aiming to serve those who are athletes, whether it be by playing the sport or working out, their goal is to keep people hydrated. It targets 13-28 because they are focusing on when people begin sports excessively up until the age of pro athletes who are preforming at their prime. Gatorade is able to target a younger market, in comparison to its competitors because of them being official drinks of a majority of the pro sports both national and international. This gives them the advantage in the market place. The strategy that Gatorade uses is this if pro athletes use the drinks, and are able to preform the way they are doing, Gatorade usually gets upper end athletes who are most popular. A way they show this is through commercials, unlike its competitors who you rarely see being advertised on television. Their product works so well that the athletes are able to 'sweat it out', which gives the illusion that it works, and the human body being made up mostly of water, Gatorade is water with a plus side, electrolytes.
Thanks to the success of the Florida Gators, Gatorade has been able to became the major sports drink globally. And because of this they promise to help improve performance. As long as there is sports, Gatorade should always have a place in this current market, as they are always improving what they have to fit different needs, this was done through the G series.

Ch. 3 - Ethics & Social Responsibility

Gatorade is committed to encouraging sports participation and fueling athletic performance through supporting many programs. These include Gatorade High School Player of the Year, Women's sports foundation, elite youth tournaments, countless running events, and Action Sports events. Through this they are able to share the benefits of Gatorade with millions of athletes around the globe.

Gatorade also gives discounts to High School teams in order to promote their goal of keeping all athletes hydrated and showing them they importance of remaining healthy.

Gatorade also joined with the NFL to educate athletes, parents, and coaches about heat-related illness and the importance of proper hydration and nutrition before, during and after games. They want to show that these problem are preventable if the right steps are taken to keep athletes healthy. Hydration is the first step in order to decrease they risk of heat illness.

Gatorade being apart of PepsiCo, they follow their ideals and strategies in regards to health and safety. PepsiCo feels that all of their products abide by their standards that they have set.

Ch. 2 - Strategic Planning for Competitive Advantage

There are many sports drinks out in the market today. Something that puts Gatorade above the rest is that is was one of the first of its kind. It received attention thanks to the success of the Florida Gators. Without this accomplishment the history of Gatorade may have taken another pathway. Gatorade being the official sports drink of the NFL and other major sports across the globe allows it to have a competitive advantage over their competitors which consist of Powerade and energy drinks such as Redbull and Monster.

The national attention that Gatorade gets, from commercials with popular athletes, to the coach being bathed in Gatorade after an important win. Gatorade has more than 40 years of evidence that shows that their product helps keep athletes hydrated and which allows them to perform at their highest levels.

Gatorade has even created the "G-series" which consists of "Prime, Preform, Recover." Gatorade believes that the prime part of their merchandise will give you the energy you need to start out with. Preform is taken while you are actively either working out or playing sports. And Recover is suppose to help your muscles by having protein in their product which the muscles strengthen.

If athletes drink this energy drink, it would be more likely for those who worship and idol these pro athletes to also want to drink and become more like their idols. This strategic plans works well with in this market which is so heavily dependent on advertisement and a huge sports fan base globally. As long as sports remain on this planet, Gatorade will be there, always finding new ways to help the average athlete not miss a beat. Gatorade is always encouraging kids to be active.

Chap.1 Overview of Marketing- Mission Statement

Chap.1 Overview of Marketing- Mission Statement

Our mission is to be the world's premier consumer products company focused on convenient foods and beverages. We seek to produce financial rewards to investors as we provide opportunities for growth and enrichment to our employees, our business partners and the communities in which we operate. And in everything we do, we strive for honesty, fairness and integrity.

Chap.1 Overview of Marketing- Brief History

Chap.1 Overview of Marketing- Brief History

Gatorade was introduced in 1965 to the researchers at the University of Florida by an assistant coach of the Florida Gators. He was curious as to why his players were so tired and becoming sick, as a cause of the heat from the sun. Thus gatorade was created in order to help these players replace the fluid and nutrients lost during practice and games. It was tested on a few players and the test was considered a success. During the 1965 season, the first with the Gatorade formula, the Gators had a season where they beat many teams by being able to withstand the heat. This gave them the upper-hand thanks to the other teams only relying on water. During the next season the Gators won their first ever Orange Bowl, which gave Gatorade national attention. The coach of the team who faced them during the Orange Bowl, said that their reason for losing was because they didn't have Gatorade. The demand for Gatorade, now on the rise, was something every team needed in order to even the playing field in terms of hydration. 

The rights to sell Gatorade were purchased by Stokely-Van Camp, Inc. in 1967. By 1969, the coach of the Gators suggested to the Kanas City Chiefs to use Gatorade to combat against the heat. The team felt it was helpful during the training camp held in summer, that they had it on their benches throughout the entire 1969 season. The Chiefs ended up winning the Super Bowl IV, and similar to how the college scene reacted, the amount of teams having Gatorade on their sidelines grew and grew until the year 1983. This year, Gatorade became the official sports drink of the National Football League and is still the drink used today.
Quaker Oats Company purchased Gatorade in 1983 for 220million dollars and in 2001 PepsiCo purchased Quaker Oats Company for 13billion dollars. AS of today Gatorade is being sold in more than 80 countries and is the official drink of NFL, MLB, NBA, WNBA, NHL, MLS, and many other professional and collegiate sports teams.