Gatorade were one of the big non-sponsors of the Olympic Games, barred from publicity anywhere. But last night the brand went on TV to remind US consumers it was still, behind the scenes, very much a part of the event.
Athletes competing in the Games were barred from taking part in ads during, shortly before and shortly after, the games. Those restrictions expired on August 15, as AdAge magazine reports - and Gatorade were first into the fray, reminding the public how important they were to world-class athletes.
The athlete pushing their brand is none other Usain Bolt, the triple track gold medal winner and one of the superstars of the games He eats a Gatorade Chew before the screen flashes to him in a packed stadium preparing to race. The Gatorade Chew is a relatively new product, Gatorade tells me and they are pretty excited about it. But at the moment it is available only in the US - so the ad won't be seen in Britain .
The spot never actually mentions the Olympics. Instead Bolt, obscured by a hood and clad head to toe in black, is shown walking through the streets of London.
A voiceover says: "We weren't there on stadium billboards. We weren't there on double-decker buses. We weren't on buttons, souvenirs or commemorative snow globes. We weren't there officially sponsoring anything. We were there for real -- inside the bodies of some of the greatest athletes on earth."
With Usain Bolt as your star, you can't do much better than that.
The spot closes with the Gatorade logo and the hashtag #WinFromWithin. TBWA/Chiat/Day is Gatorade's agency.
