TBWA began its 50th anniversary celebration campaign for Gatorade with a look back at its roots. Now, TBWA L.A. is bringing the campaign to its conclusion by looking toward the future with the 60-second “Moving the Game Forward.”
“Moving the Game Forward” is not short on celebrity athletes, featuring appearances by Usain Bolt, Lionel Messi, Eli Manning, Abby Wambach and Dwyane Wade, as well as ESPN personality Skip Bayliss. Each contributes a line to a pretty by-the-book sports anthem ad narrative about continuing to push yourself to be “faster than the fastest” and making everyone “want to be like you.” Near the end of the ad, however, are some hints as to how Gatorade is evolving with the times. “For the athletes moving the game forward, Gatorade’s creating the fuel to do the same,” announces the voiceover as a football player checks what appears to be a Gatorade wearable device before squeezing a red liquid into a Gatorade pod to create some kind of custom drink. The spot ends with the line “Fueling the Future” and text referring to Gatorade as “The Sports Fuel Company,” which also speaks to the brand’s evolution beyond mere thirst quencher.
Kenny Mitchell, Gatorade’s senior director of consumer engagement, told AdAge the ad is “closing the chapter on our first 50 years and opening up the chapter of our next 50.”We really want to showcase and tell the story that athletes continue to evolve and push past their limits and move the game forward and Gatorade is evolving with them.”
Mitchell also addressed the future Gatorade products hinted at in the spot, saying, “What you will see coming from us moving forward is a little bit more on the customization and personalization front to help address athlete needs. We are in the lab fine-tuning now and we will have more to share when the time is right.”