Yeah at my local Jewel, Tiger barely has the minimal facings.

Its because of the logo, the people at Pepsi won't admit it though.

BevNet is Twittering from NACS, and posted a pic of the new G Natural, sweetened with cane sugar. Due out in April '10. Is this another product going after their core users? Seems like a niche product aimed at those who are into natural/organic.

View Media | Gatorade | BevNET.com

If and I say IF, G Natural tastes like the original
Gatorade I used to savor in the mid 70's; I will go
manic with Joy. Back in the day the original (sugar sweetened)
lemon lime Gatorade was way off the charts!

I eagerly await G Natural to roll out.

Gatorade glass bottle from the late 60's and 70's.
http://www.mountaintimes.com/mtweekl...ade_bottle.gif

Looks like G is doing something positive with their product - I saw these white labels on Orange, Lemon-Lime and Fruit Punch at Acme here in Delaware.

It's about time that Gatorade supported a worth while
cause such as Breast Cancer.

However, those white labels are nasty.

The Tiger line is completely discontinued now. Gatorade says it has nothing to do with the recent events he's been involved in or his affairs. The decision was supposedly made months ago, to make room for new products.

Gatorade drops Tiger Woods product « Entertainment

No word if he will continue to endorse their products, though.

BevNET.com: PepsiCo plans to revamp Gatorade in New Year

The good news is that hfcs is out, sucrose/dextrose is in.

The bad news is that they are keeping the G branding.

Two new lines will be introduced - Prime, for pre-exercise, and Perform, for post-exercise.

More of the line extensions may also be eliminated. No specifics, though.

I don't know the market research data, but one has to wonder.. Is Gatorade alienating their core users? In my experience/judgment, I think a lot of people drink it for the taste and that it's non-carbonated, with a perceived "good for you" benefit, not that they are using it for working out. They certainly won't be interested in pre/post workout beverages, especially if they come at a premium price. People expect to pay around $1 or so per 32oz, since they run ads so often and run it at that price in Wal-Mart everyday, with lots of displays (obviously, more per ounce for multipacks of smaller bottles).

Gatorade's market share has been on the decline for a while. Somehow I wonder if this new approach will stop the slide. You may get some people who will try the Prime and Perform, but will there be repeat purchasing?

There is no doubt that Gatorade has been struggling as of late, but I think many of the factors are external and do not neccesarily represent the overall health of the brand. For instance Powerade is dirt cheap out there in a lot of markets. This clearly hurts Gatorade. Simple fix = lower the price right? Not really. All that does is dillute profits and start a retail race to the bottom. Same applies to percieved value. The enhanced water and purified water segments are in this situation right now. Ask a Coke bottler how Vitamin Water does for the bottom line. I bet you a cold one they say it stinks. This is what will happen with Powerade too if Gatorade follows suit.

That said, Gatorade is hurting while others take share. I'm just not convinced it's broken. I think Gatorade is playing defense while others are pressing full court. Interesting to see how the dust settles.

Originally Posted by mofizz

There is no doubt that Gatorade has been struggling as of late, but I think many of the factors are external and do not neccesarily represent the overall health of the brand. For instance Powerade is dirt cheap out there in a lot of markets. This clearly hurts Gatorade. Simple fix = lower the price right? Not really. All that does is dillute profits and start a retail race to the bottom. Same applies to percieved value. The enhanced water and purified water segments are in this situation right now. Ask a Coke bottler how Vitamin Water does for the bottom line. I bet you a cold one they say it stinks. This is what will happen with Powerade too if Gatorade follows suit.

That said, Gatorade is hurting while others take share. I'm just not convinced it's broken. I think Gatorade is playing defense while others are pressing full court. Interesting to see how the dust settles.

Powerade also benefits from being a part of the My Coke Rewards program, not only do people get MCR points for buying Powerade, Coke has coupons as rewards. The coupons are good for several Coke products including a FREE 32 oz Powerade (or near free whatever the tax is). As you can see coupons also help Powerade increase its sales.