Gatorade is a brand that is very good at telling sports stories and spreading sports culture.
As early as 1984, Gatorade signed Michael Jordan to his true fame, making him the first star to sign, and then shocked the world with a "Be Like Mike" commercial. That uplifting "Be Like Mike" inspired a generation to go to the pitch, inspiring everyone to chase their dreams and go to their own greatness like Jordan.
Today, in the star-studded lineup of Gatorade, there are sports stars such as Messi, Bolt, and Serena Williams. With the announcement of China's women's national football team player Wang Shuang as its contracted athlete on Weibo on August 20, Gatorade added a new Miss Asian Football from China to the star lineup.
As the leader of this generation of Chinese women's football, Wang Shuangnian entered the women's football national junior team at the age of 12. Because of his outstanding performance, Wang Shuang opened the "skipping" mode - entering the national youth (under 20 years old) at the age of 15 and representing the national team when he was less than 18 years old.
In August 2018, Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain women's football team issued an invitation to Wang Shuang. After joining Paris, Wang Shuang became the first Chinese player to score in the Champions League.
Subsequently, at the 2018 AFC Official Annual Awards, Wang Shuang defeated Japanese women's football captain Sashi Kumagaya with her outstanding performance in the Asian Cup and after joining Paris, and was elected Miss Asian Football.
In the Sino-Korean war in April this year, it was Wang Shuang's death that helped the Chinese women's football team defeat the South Korean team 4:3 in two legs and get the ticket to enter Tokyo, which also made her the focus of national fans and media attention again.
With wang shuang's athletic performance and personal influence, Gatorade is looking for new growth points in the domestic market.
In the global market, Gatorade has always chosen to sign influential sports stars and event resources. In terms of football, Gatorade's current spokespersons include Messi, Jesus, Pulišić and other players, and also sponsor 78 football clubs around the world, including Barca and Manchester City, and Wang Shuang is the first domestic football player held by Gatorade.
Born in 1965 in the laboratory of the University of Florida, Gatorade can be said to be the first company to create the category of sports drinks. As a sponsor of the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and WNBA, Gatorade has become an ingrained part of sports, from courtside drink mugs and towels to the iconic Gatorade shower.
Gatorade was acquired by PepsiCo in 2001. According to Euromonitor, Gatorade now has annual revenues of $7.5 billion, accounting for more than 15 percent of PepsiCo's beverage sales. Gatorade's market share in North America fell from 76.6% in 2015 to 67.7% in 2020 due to increasing competition in the sports beverage market, although it still dominates the sports beverage category in North America.
In the face of China's blue ocean market for sports drinks, various companies have seized business opportunities to join the battlefield. Among them, there are international giants such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola, as well as domestic giants such as Nongfu Spring and Wahaha, as well as a number of new consumer brands such as Yuanqi Forest Aliens that have emerged in the past two years.
On the whole, the rapid growth of the domestic special-purpose beverage market is closely related to the general environment, with the increasing enthusiasm of the Chinese people to participate in sports, the concept of health and sports consumption has also undergone drastic changes, which is a major positive for special-purpose beverages, and the demand for sports nutrition, especially sports drinks, will undoubtedly usher in an outbreak.
According to Euromonitor data, the sales of special-purpose beverages in China in 2016 were 37.313 billion yuan, and the market share in 2021 can reach 61.777 billion yuan, which is equivalent to doubling in five years.
Beverages belong to the FMCG industry, and its sales, advertising, and channels all determine that this is a market with great potential, but a high degree of homogenization and fierce competition. In the field of FMCG, large companies mean strong strength, and they have quite obvious advantages in product research and development, brand building, and channel construction.
What is clear is that Gatorade is adding weight in the Chinese market.
For more than a decade, Gatorade has been in-depth layout in the domestic basketball scene. In April 2019, Gatorade signed abdul Salam, the new generation star of the Chinese men's basketball team, as its brand ambassador in China, and cooperated with grassroots events such as Tiger Fighter King Basketball and Guangzhou Fancy Football League outside the arena. In January this year, Gatorade signed a new endorsement with badminton players Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong.
With the cooperation with Wang Shuang, Gatorade has also taken a key step in the Chinese football market.
According to the China Football Industry Report released by iResearch after the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the number of domestic football fans is about 200 million, and the number of fans who have the habit of watching football games regularly is about 30 million. In the face of this huge consumer group, Gatorade has a more specific plan.
According to Lazy Bear Sports, Gatorade conducts a survey on Chinese consumers' exercise habits every year, and precipitates some data and functional insights. At present, Gatorade is also developing new products for Chinese consumers, and the newly launched light sports sugar-free products in June this year is an example.
With the increase in the specialization of the sports population, the professional requirements for beverages will also be higher, and sports drinks that emphasize professionalism will usher in better opportunities. In the face of a wider range of light sports people, Gatorade will focus on sports beverage science education and sports supply grass dissemination in promotion, and recommend corresponding supply solutions for different needs.
In addition, the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) is also planning to land in China. Founded in 1988 in Chicago, USA, GSSI is a professional sports research organization owned by Gatorade to prevent dehydration from causing various injuries to athletes through scientific rehydration. Ronaldinho, Carter and Sharapova have all received professional guidance from GSSI. In the future, Gatorade will also provide Wang Shuang with scientific training and replenishment methods and customize exclusive supply programs.
As an established sports beverage brand, through Gatorade's global cooperation sports assets, they also plan to bring these stars, club resources, youth training camp experience to China, carry out more football-themed events and grassroots activities, and provide more opportunities and international vision to young players who aspire to become professional players.
Through this series of actions, Gatorade's expectation is to truly benefit domestic football players and enthusiasts, and most importantly, to be able to penetrate the brand and products more deeply into the Chinese football crowd.
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