Gatorade Commercial

Today, as I was watching television, a Gatorade advertisement came on. It was an example of the classic sports drink ad, featuring various athletes achieving incredible feats with the drink logo not-so-subtly plastered on a cooler behind them. This particular ad features a tennis player trying to return a ball, a baseball player trying to hit a pitch, and a quarterback throwing a pass, all in slow motion. As each of the players' actions slowly progress to their separate climaxes, phrases such as "when it matters the most", and "every game needs a hero" are displayed.

This ad makes use of several different tactics to imprint itself in the mind of the watcher. First, it shows much more in its ad than effects of the product, and attempts to create lovemarks in doing so. It shows athletes performing well when they drink Gatorade, implying that Gatorade makes one like sports stars. People that want to do well and stand out respond to this, as star athletes are widely admires. In essence, Gatorade tries to link 'sports star' culture with their drink, in the hope that people will correlate the two, and buy Gatorade in the hopes that they could be like those who are showed in the commercial.

The commercial also uses several of the 15 advertising appeals characterized by Jib Fowles. The most prominent of these is the sixth, the need to achieve. The athletes are all shown as they are about to become the hero of their team, and it is implied that if they succeed, fame and glory await them. The commercial imposes the phrase 'with the whole world watching' just before all of the athletes are shown succeeding, and giant crowds full of flashing cameras are always behind the athletes. The athletes all begin to sweat the colors of Gatorade just at the pivotal moment that led to their success, seeding the idea that it was the Gatorade that enabled them to achieve. The ad also tries to create the need for achievement, as well as fulfilling it. The phrases 'who will come through' and 'with the whole world watching' instill the need for achievement, as it is implied that success is being threatened by others, and because the viewer is made to believe that everyone is watching. The belief that the viewer is being watched helps make them want to achieve, as failing in front of a large audience is undesirable.

Gatorade also uses the need for dominance to entice its viewers. The quarterback is seen dodging opposing players. He weaves around them, and in the end defeats them and is able to throw the pass. The commercial plants the need for dominance with the phrase 'who will come through' and fulfills it by showing all of the players triumphing over their opponent.