Dive Brief:
- PepsiCo's Gatorade debuted a new ad this week that took a new approach: promoting products that are still in development. Target launch dates for certain products wouldn't be until 2017 or 2018.
- "Your Game Is Our Lab" hinted at upcoming items including a protein-enriched yogurt designed for muscle recovery, "bite-sized protein food forms," and "nitrate boosts," according to Ad Age. Another already known innovation that appeared in the spot is the Gx bottle, which employs capsules.
- The spot features athletes like J.J. Watt and Usain Bolt in an effort to demonstrate how athletes themselves serve as direct inspiration for Gatorade's innovation pipeline.
Dive Insight:
Gatorade has been expanding its product category reach, including the introduction of shakes, smoothies, bars, bites, and powders to its portfolio. Gatorade has already long dominated the sports drink segment, with 77% of the market as of 2014 and a successful 2015, according to PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi on an earnings call last month. Diversification, especially in the athletic nutrition space, is the next logical step for the brand as it strives to find new growth opportunities.
One of these upcoming innovations stands out for another reason. Hints of a Gatorade protein-enhanced yogurt product come not long after Chobani dropped out of talks with PepsiCo. PepsiCo had wanted a majority stake in the company, but Chobani was only looking to sell a minority stake. Earlier this week, Chobani made a timely announcement: that it would be releasing its own Greek yogurt-based drinks this summer. Both companies have moved on from the deal and are pursuing innovations in the yogurt area; if the deal had gone through, there could have been opportunity for brand synergy.