Oh Gatorade, You’re So Not a “G” Thing

By Matt Van Hoven on January 7, 2009 3:57 PM

In case you haven’t already seen it, here’s the latest Gatorade spot from TBWA/Chiat. In short, we learn what, “G” is. Golden, glorious, garbage! Compare this work (directed by Spike Lee, btw) to the Jordan v. Jordan v. Jordan piece courtesy Gatorade alum Element 79, and well, you’ll see why there’s some disappointment about the brand’s current direction.

Short of the low production quality, the somewhat ambiguous faces, and the gruff VO, the most difficult aspect to grasp is the brand itself. If we didn’t know better, we’d think this was an ad promoting Gamestop or something. Well, maybe not, but to assume that your brand is so strong that referring to a letter and a few notable faces is enough to get the point across is a bit much.

A source close to the campaign tells us the hot and cold reactions this ad has been getting is exactly what Gatorade wants. Could this have been an attempt to get people to think more broadly about the brand? We’re told there’s much more to come, too.

What we like about the ad is the diverse mix of people, the rough and tumble, deep from the gut emotion that’s true to Gatorade. And we would like the lack of visual brand association, were it not so ambiguous. But like we said, that seems to be the point.

More: “You Decide: Logos for Pepsi, Gatorade and Mtn. Dew”