Founded in 1965 by Robert Cade, Gatorade was founded 55 years ago. It has stayed on the court and in the heart of many athletes.
It was made by a group of doctors on Florida University’s campus and is now licensed by PepsiCo
It was proven on the field on Oct. 2 1965 in a Florida versus LSU game for the first time.
It has become the staple brand drink for all sports figures including: Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter, and many more
The founders wanted to create a good tasting sports drink that provided electrolytes and prevented cramps
Gatorade seemed to be the miracle juice early on for the 1965 Florida Gator team. 17 players had been sent to the ER and when Gatorade was introduced, only 1 person was sent (he didn’t drink Gatorade).
Over time, Gatorade had gone through numerous endorsements by sports teams around the world and numerous celebrities.
Its the perfect example of stick to your guns because it has barely changed and fluctuated throughout the years as the recipe has barely changed
Gatorade has about 3000 employees and currently holds the most popular sports drink by a wide margin.
The company’s biggest flaw comes from the lack of advertising. Gatorade barely markets and relies on their key athletes.
Another comes from their variety, they offer 31 flavors.
Since 2012, Brett O’Brien runs Gatorade and it’s headquarters are in Chicago, Illinois.

Gatorade produces a variety of flavors (31 flavors of Gatorade) from lemon-lime to cool blue.
They also sell Gatorade bottles, mixes to create your own Gatorade with water, Gatorade Zero, and Gatorade chews (energy chews).
Gatorade is sold in 80 different countries in supermarkets, gas stations, Costcos, retail stores, and online. There are over 50 flavors available worldwide.
Body Armor and Powerade are sold in numerous countries and have proven to be Gatorade’s biggest competitors.
Body Armor: owns 13% of the whole market and is viewed as the drink in the running to dethrone Gatorade.
The CEO revealed his plan to overtake Gatorade to Kobe Bryant 15 years ago. It is projected that the sports drink juggernaut will be taken out by 2025.
Powerade: Owns 20% of the whole market. However, due to slow sales during the pandemic, Powerade has run scarce as not many products are being pushed out.
Rumors are going around that Powerade will be discontinued, along with SmartWater, in the hydration category because of Gatorade’s overwhelming dominance.
Each bottle, Powerade and Body Armor, tastes distinctly different from Gatorade products.
To put it simply, Gatorade has the best endorsements because a majority of athlete’s drink the household brand, despite the taste.

Gatorade, when they do market their product, aim for endorsements. They contract numerous different athletes in order to get their newest products the limelight.
Another big selling point of Gatorade is their eco-friendly appeal.
They also utilize Facebook messenger to get back to their customers WITHIN A DAY, in order to address their questions and concerns. This is unheard of for a big company like Gatorade.
Athletes who have endorsed Gatorade include and are not limited to: Serena Williams, Lionel Messi, Paul George, Dwyane Wade, Derek Jeter, Vince Carter, and Tiger Woods.
Gatorade primarily markets themselves through their celebrity endorsers and through billboard campaigns. They also have a tendency to jump in on trends to increase popularity.
The company, being the reigning juggernaut that it is, markets themselves very well as they are practically unrivaled in the field of energy drinks. Some even go as far as to call it a monopoly.
Many famous athletes take the deals because of how popular the business is. Thusly, their marketing ways have proven effective over the past 55 years.
Gatorade spends roughly 100 million dollars a year in marketing alone. This is a small amount compared to companies of their caliber.
Gatorade makes 3.3 billion dollars yearly, making 100 million dollars 3.3% of their yearly revenue spent on advertising (I think).

The U.S. Green Building Council Awards recognized Gatorade as environmentally friendly in 2007.
However, their newest line of Gatorade, Gatorade Organic, has raised some concerns. Using sugar cane is generally accepted but it creates the illusion for many people that it is better for them.
Gatorade is one of the leading causes in metabolic disease in the U.S.
Gatorade has increased its hirings since its creation and now the company has over 3000 workers.
They also have been a strong voice in the community against child labor and have actually gone as far as to fund events that promote children working out.
Their target audience are athletic males from the ages 25-34. It restores electrolytes whether it be on the court or in bed sick.
The noticeable and often overlooked fact about Gatorade is that is super high in sugar. It can be detrimental as children tend to drink a ton of these in a day. It can lead to diseases such as: diabetes, kidney damage, tooth enamel and erosion of the teeth.
In one 20 fl oz bottle, there are 270 mg of Potassium and 34g of sugars. When children drink 3-4 of these a day, there’s no secret why things go amiss. However, athletes who train hard can drink 2 of these and sweat away all the calories/sugar.

Gatorade is trying to launch a “custom sweat profile” where athletes will be able to track their hydration levels and sweat output. This is gonna be called “custom hydration” because each athlete is different.
Speaking long term, Gatorade’s future goals is to become as big as possible, much like every business. Growth overtime will prove Gatorade’s longevity.
I believe there are not many issues Gatorade has to face in the future due to its overwhelming dominance in the field of hydration. Their only problem would be if BodyArmor or Powerade’s sales skyrocketed in the years to come.
As far as change goes, Gatorade will always adapt to trends like every other tech savvy businesses and stick to their guns when things work out.
It is hard to say whether or not Gatorade will continue to grow or bottom out as the future goes but there will be a continual fluctuation as far as stocks go.
Gatorade has proven time and time again that its numbers rise and flat out then rise again so it’ll only be up from here.