After years spent chasing Gatorade’s majority control of the sports drink category, Powerade is coming to play.
The Coca-Cola Company-owned brand unveiled a new look and upgraded formulation this week as it aims to modernize the line. The updated products, in both original and Zero Sugar varieties, will now feature twice as many electrolytes as Gatorade and will also contain Vitamins B12 and C, the company announced yesterday. The new labels also feature a callout for “50% more electrolytes” and a media release touts the brand’s higher levels of calcium, potassium, magnesium and sodium.
Available in 20 oz. and 28 oz. bottles, the updated product line will include Mountain Berry, Fruit Punch, Grape, Orange, White Cherry, Lemon-Lime and Strawberry Lemonade flavors.
The rebrand will be supported by a 360-degree marketing campaign, including advertising centered around March Madness next month. The company has also relaunched its social media presence with a new handle – @Powerade_US. Upcoming TV ads will feature a new athlete partner, the company said.
Following its acquisition of sports drink brand BodyArmor in 2021, Coke folded Powerade into the BodyArmor business unit last summer. In an email to BevNET, BodyArmor CMO Matt Dzamba said it intends to continue positioning BodyArmor as a premium brand while Powerade will remain a more affordable option.
“Consumers continue to look for more functionality and with this new formulation, POWERADE will bring more value and nutritional benefit to price-conscious consumers compared to competitors,” Dzamba said. “With this new rebrand and two dynamic billion-dollar brands in POWERADE and BODYARMOR now under the same umbrella here at BODYARMOR Sports Nutrition, we’re well-positioned to go after Gatorade in a big way.”
According to NielsenIQ, sales of Coke’s sports drink portfolio were down -8.9% in the two-week period ending January 14 (down -1% for the 52-week period) while Gatorade owner PepsiCo was up 9.8% (+14% in 52-weeks). CNN reported this week that Powerade is the third largest sports drink brand in the U.S. with 14.1% market share, while Gatorade currently has a 63% share of the category, followed by BodyArmor with 14.5%.
BodyArmor CEO Federico Muyshondt told CNN yesterday that Powerade will “get more investment and more innovation in the coming years” but declined to share specifics, only hinting that the brand may draw inspiration from the international sports drink market in order to drive growth.