I don't know how many of you saw the "G" commercials during sporting events lately. Frankly, I did not even know what G was about until today. It is an apparent attempt by Pepsi to disenfranchise the Gatorade name from the product in order to appeal to new consumers (F$U grads?). Here is a link to an article about the program:
<http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/content/sports/epaper/2009/01/14/a1a_ga torade_0115.html> http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/...rade_0115.html I was so enraged over their program than I contacted the company with the following: "I generally don't write to a company with a complaint on a marketing program. However, I feel as a business professor and as a consumer, I need to let you know just how much I dislike your new "G" marketing program. If your goal was to evoke a strong emotional response, you have succeeded. If your goal was to increase the desire to feel positive about purchasing the product, you have failed miserably. I understand that you may be attempting to expand the market appeal, trying to reach a broader group, but, in my professional opinion, I don't believe that this accomplishes your objective. First, I had no idea that the "G" commercials had any connection to Gatorade, Pepsi, or any consumer food product. In fact, if I had been asked to guess, I would have thought that it was some new program by Nike or some other shoe company. Second, the desire to disenfranchise the Gatorade name from the product is mind-numbing! The history and name brand loyalty is important. If you would have liked to create a new product, why didn't you just come out with a G brand and leave Gatorade to its own market. I think that the result of this will be similar to the New Coke disaster of your competitor. I might add that right now, the Gator brand (University of Florida) is stronger than ever and seems poised to grow even more as their athletic programs become even stronger. Finally, I have another concern. Two years ago you changed the formulation of Gatorade to be sweetened by fructose. As an athletic performance beverage, fructose is not a particularly good choice. With the existing formulation, I feel like it is somewhat similar to any non-carbonated soft drink and not a beverage that will enhance my ability to excel athletically." I responded to them through their "Contact Us" portal on the Gatorade.com website. Jerry --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
