Background: The only thing harder than becoming number one is staying number one. In 2021, Gatorade was facing growing competition from aggressive new competitors, increasing noise in the sports category at large, and a need to boost relevance with its key audience of teen athletes.

Objective: Reassert what Gatorade stands for as a brand – helping athletes maximize their potential from the inside. 

Research: We interviewed athletes ranging from a 15-year-old high school rugby player to an Olympic shot putter to better understand what maximizing their athletic potential meant to them. We found that the definitions were as varied as the athletes themselves. 

Insight: The truth is there’s no singular path an athlete must take to unlock their full potential.  Sometimes it’s needing Grit along the journey. Sometimes it’s finding a Goliath and Getting After It. Sometimes it’s simply Grinding it out. 

The Idea: No matter how an athlete goes about their journey to greatness, Gatorade is there to fuel them along the way. Greatness Starts With G.

Comms Approach: This idea came to life across two chapters, a brand campaign focused on landing Gatorade’s POV in culture and a product campaign cementing the superiority of Gatorade’s proven formula.

The Work: Some key elements of the campaign included…

• Hero TVC / OLV films featuring athletes from the Gatorade roster and beyond who embodied each of our “G” attributes.

• A first-of-its-kind, 7-in-1 Snapchat AR Lens that created a unique visual experience designed around each of our G words.

• Gatorade’s first activation on Reddit, a pair of Ask Me Anything sessions in r/NBA focused on what it takes to achieve greatness with roster athletes Damian Lillard and WNBA star Elena Delle Donne. Lillard’s was one of Reddit’s most successful branded AMAs ever.

• TikTok creator collaborations, partnering with inspiring athletes on the platform to each bring one of our G attributes to life in their own ways.

• A custom content partnership with the upstart professional high school basketball league Overtime Elite, introducing some of the league’s top stars and aligning their backstories with the G attribute they best represented.

Role: Led integrated campaign strategy and comms planning. Co-wrote creative brief.