Gatorade’s key sales period is in the summer, but in
recent years its purpose – to fuel elite athletes to perform at their best – has
been better associated with Australian winter sports such as AFL and NRL.
While Gatorade does sponsor cricket over the summer, the
sport’s slow pace means it isn’t associated with peak athleticism, and thus the
brand has been relegated to lower tier exposure due to a limited budget.
To change the false perception that cricket isn’t for
the elite, we partned with a man who represents the peak of athletic prowess –
Usain Bolt – to introduce a new statistic to the game, the Bolt Rate.
The Bolt Rate went global overnight, capturing the
imagination of millions of fans around the world, while changing the perception
of speed and endurance in today’s game. This inserted Gatorade firmly into the
sport’s culture, making it more relevant than ever before.