Ultra Brand Studio's Alistair Schoonmaker unpicks the brand's blast of nostalgia works.
Nostalgia is having a bit of a moment in culture. Fashion is looking decidedly early 2000s, retro football kits are everywhere during the Euros (and Glastonbury!) and ads are throwing it back (and we've seen retro rebrandings galore, from Perkins to the Los Angeles Kings).
Consumers are loving it, but looking back doesn’t always work. You can’t be throwing in throwback references just because others are. It needs to be authentic. Callbacks to the past can work – but make sure you have a solid bridge to do so.
Gatorade’s nostalgic slamdunk
Gatorade’s ‘It hasn’t changed’ ad campaign is authentic. There’s so much to admire creatively, not least because it has a point of view, clear principles and avoids sameness in the sports drink arena. It sets its stall out clearly and challenges the Gen Z audience. And with Michael Jordan narrating, it provides a bridge to sports-mad Gen X and Millennials who will remember the original campaign. Gatorade gets its audience.
Back in 1998, Gatorade unleashed ‘Is it in you?’ and pitched it right. It took hold of the idea that sport was about hard graft - pain and gain. Gatorade-coloured sweat and tears feature on athletes including 14 time NBA All Star Jordan. The ad knew exactly who it was talking to and empathised with a drive towards excellence. Shooting the ad in black and white added to the feel that there was no messing about. And it was memorable.
Fast forward to this year and the updated ad. Alongside Jordan, it has a host of big name US sporting talent on show including basketball prodigy Catlin Clark, NFL star Josh Allen and track specialist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. It starts in colour but when the serious message starts, switches to black and white - the Gatorade-coloured sweat remains - a nice on-brand call back.
What works is that this campaign has something to say – it’s moved the conversation on – and it’s to a new generation. The messaging is crystal clear to Gen Z and the brand is able to refresh its iconic campaign without making it feel staid and out of step - the younger audience doesn’t need to know the reference point from the 1990s.
New generations don’t necessarily need to know Jordan, although his star power gives the ad additional heft. And a strong brand ambassador can bring plenty to the party - clicks, column inches and widespread media coverage. Jordan achieved it and his endorsement works - it matched perfectly in 1998 and does so again in 2014. He’s effectively the bridge between generations and has the gravitas to do this effortlessly.
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Whether it’s the messaging (“The game will always change but IT never will.”) or the iconic Gatorade coloured perspiration, the ad demands your attention. It’s not subtle - it’s bold, brash and hard. It understands what it takes to compete. It gets pain. It gets sport.
Having something to say
(Image credit: Gatorade)
Connecting with Gen Z isn’t easy. The demographic is fiendishly difficult to pitch to, particularly when it comes to sport. Gen Z has other distractions, like social pressure to conform. To grab their attention means a brand needs to have a point of view. It might be controversial and punchy, but it needs to be something strong.
Gatorade’s use of athletes in this ad connects on one level but it ticks a whole load of other boxes. The brand is pushing the idea that sport is a champion for change, for good - provided you put the hard graft in.
And it comes back to that word - authenticity. Gatorade has achieved that by staying true to its brand. You know what it’s advertising, you know who it’s pitching to and you know its message. And if you want to speak to Gen Z - as well as previous generations who haven’t quite given up on sport - then be a brand that shares their values and principles.
The creative craft lies in bringing those synergies to life in differentiated and truthful ways. You’re either authentic, or you’re not.
Alistair is a creative business leader who specialises in brand strategy, communications, design, technology, and services. He helps companies obsess the full brand experience and leverage every dimension of brands to inspire, engage and distinguish themselves from the pack. He founded Ultra Brand Studio in 2020 and works with some of the biggest brands in the world, including Nike, Maserati and EA.
