Gatorade Company History
Rehydrate, replenish, refuel – that’s Gatorade. Its journey from an experimental potion to a wildly successful beverage is one of science, imagination, and thirst-quenching performance.
1965 began as a wretched year for the Florida Gators. Their beleaguered coach begged University of Florida researchers Dr. Robert Cade, Dr. Dana Shires, Dr. H. James Free and Dr. Alejandro de Quesada to determine why his team consistently failed to perform.
After several weeks of research, the scholars decided that the athletes failed to replenish their stores of electrolytes and carbohydrates, which were expended through bursts of intense energy. The researchers created a foul-tasting concoction, “Gator-Ade,” and added lemon-lime flavoring and sugar to reduce its rank acidity.
After glugging the experimental drink, the Gators blasted through the competition and ended the season with a 7-4 winning record. The following year, the Gators achieved their first ever victory at the Orange Bowl. Gatorade got the credit. Its reputation rocketed and by 1967, Gatorade was the official sports drink of the NFL. Teams from around the nation – such as the Kansas City Chiefs, who chugged Gatorade during their 1969 season and won the Superbowl – used Gatorade to bolster their athletes’ endurance.
In 1973, the University of Florida settled with Dr. Cade over ownership rights, and have retained royalties ever since. Gatorade was bought by Quaker Oats Company in 1983 and accounts for a third of the company’s present sales.
Gatorade soon spread across sport lines. It became a standard hydrating drink for NASCAR drivers, baseball players, hockey teams, and in other athletics. It is now the official sports drink of the NFL, NBA, WNBA, NHL, USSF and other professional and collegiate sport divisions and conferences. Pepsi-Cola’s PowerAde is its main competitor.
Products Specialties
2010 brought the advent of a new marketing campaign, replete with alternations in nutrition, packaging, and labeling terminology. Gatorade has reconfigured its drinks to target athletic customers, and has removed excess vitamins and minerals previously contained for other health benefits. Products are now marketed under the G-Series campaign: Prime, Perform, and Recover.
Prime G01 drinks are infused with B-vitamins to energize athletes, in addition to regular carbohydrates and electrolytes. It is said to be “coming soon” by Gatorade.
Perform drinks contain the original Gatorade formula. Rain (No Excuses), X-Factor (Tough), AM (Shine On), and Fierce (Bring It) subsets have been consolidated under the Prime G02 line. They are sold under their traditional (Rain, X-factor, etc.) subline names.
Gatorade markets the Recover G03 as the “the world’s first rehydrating protein drink.” It has extra protein to repair muscle following an intense workout. Like Prime G01, it is coming soon.
All Gatorade is available in liquid and powdered forms and comes in almost twenty distinct flavors. There is no content difference between liquid and powdered forms of Gatorade.
Gatorade is also releasing a G-Series Pro (Elite) line of products for extreme athletes. It includes a specialized Prime G01 carbohydrate drink, nutrition shake, nutrition bar; Prime G02 liquid and powered endurance formula; and a Prime G03 protein recovery shake.
“Half the calories, all the G,” is how Gatorade markets their G2 line of drinks. G2 drinks are for “hydration off the field,” with less sodium and nutrients than its sport-oriented counterpart, Gatorade G. G2 is currently sold under the Perform category, in both liquid and powder form.
Gator Gum and Gatorade Focus (Tiger) have been discontinued as part of the new 2010 marketing and product campaign. Tiger Woods no longer has Gatorade sponsorship.
Find Gatorade Promotional Discounts, Rewards, Deals Coupon Codes
Currently, Gatorade is in the midst of a seasonal rewards program in the UK called “Gatorade Gives Back.” All bottles are labeled with a code, which can be entered onto the UK Gatorade website, www.gatoradegivesback.co.uk, or texted using the number provided on the purchased bottle. Participants can win athletic and sports-related prizes from participating companies like New Balance, Polar, Power Music, Neilson Active Holidays and The National Magazine Company. Additionally, Gatorade holds weekly drawings for registered participants for grand prizes, including admission to major 2010 athletic events and a day spent with an Olympic competitor.
Unfortunately, Gatorade offers a very limited amount of individual product coupons. Few websites have any online printable coupons, and available coupons may only last a few days or hours. Budget-minded customers are better off buying discounted or bulk materials from independent retailers like criticaltool.com and couponsnapshot.com.
As Gatorade is a bulk product, many independent retailers hold their own store sales. $10/10 deals for 20-oz Gatorade bottles are quite common. Interested customers should scour local pages for independent deals on Gatorade products.
For sports hydration, there is no better choice than Gatorade. With a flavor to fit every desire, and vitamins and electrolytes to fit every need, Gatorade is sure to improve performance on the field and pleasure off the field.