Y&R Preps Accelerade Push

NEW YORK Cadbury Schweppes is preparing a major national launch for Accelerade, a sports drink that will attempt to penetrate a category long dominated by Gatorade.The product will be supported by a $50 million marketing campaign breaking May 28 under the theme "Sweat smarter," and Accelerade will target the 35 million Americans who exercise regularly, according to documents obtained by Brandweek.The new Accelerade account will be run out of Young & Rubicam's San Francisco office, where the shop's other Cadbury Schweppes business is based, per sources.Ads, which will tout's Accelerade's promise of providing superior endurance for athletes, will not feature celebrity endorsers. Gatorade boasts an all-star spokes-team, including Kevin Garnett, Derek Jeter and Mia Hamm. Powerade ads feature NBA star LeBron James.The push comes as Cadbury is plans to split the company. The strategy was unveiled last month by chairman John Sunderland, who said Cadbury intends to separate its confectionary and Americas Beverages businesses. This has led to speculation regarding the fate of both companies and their respective brands. Acquired last year from PacificHealth Laboratories for a reported $4 million plus royalties, Accelerade gives Cadbury an entry into one of the fastest-growing beverage categories. Sales of U.S. sports drinks eclipsed $4 billion in 2006, up from $3.6 billion per Beverage Marketing Corp., New York. However, analysts say Accelerade may be the one sweating in going head-to head with PepsiCo-owned Gatorade, which saw its volume grow 12.2 percent in 2006 and commands 82 percent of the category, and Coca-Cola's Powerade, which had an 11.2 percent volume growth but, after 15 years, has only grabbed 17.1 percent of the category, per Beverage Digest."Gatorade is the dominant player and anyone who has tried to compete with them has not been successful," said Michael Mauze, managing director at VMG Equity, San Francisco. "Powerade has been able to get the distribution because it's a Coke product, but no one's been able to build the brand equity that Gatorade has."According to a Cadbury exec, Accelerade's point of differentiation is that it's "a protein enhanced sports drink that allows athletes to get the most out of their workout and their exercise. The 4:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio has been clinically proven to enhance endurance by 29 percent over ordinary sports drinks."Communicating the benefits of protein versus electrolytes will be central to all communication, which includes TV, print, online, out-of-home, race sponsorships and health club sampling.Accelerade in its powder form already is popular among hard-core athletes. This places it ahead of the curve in terms of ingredients, said Gerry Khermouch, editor at Beverage Business Insights. "It's a category that mainstream consumers don't really know about. But Kellogg is spending some money to popularize the concept of protein-infused waters for Special K Protein Water and Muscle Milk. Cadbury's timing could be very good on this one."Dustin Cohn, director of innovations at Gatorade, Chicago, said that Accelerade and Gatorade are fundamentally different products. "Sports drinks are supposed to replenish and hydrate. Our scientifically proven formula works for athletes. Protein is for post workout. It's an active ingredient that helps recovery. They are two different things."Michael Sands, former CMO at Snapple and co-founder of all-natural snack company LesserEvil, Tuckahoe, N.Y., said because Gatorade has evolved into an every day refreshment beverage, Accelerade has a "chance to backfill the position of the legitimate sports drink. It's the real deal. Workout extremists swear by it. Gatorade is great, but it's at the point that my kids drink it for breakfast."

Brand Marketing

Y&R Preps Accelerade Push

Kenneth Hein

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Kenneth Hein