G vs. Gatorade

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The “Gatorade bath” is synonymous with championship celebrations. But when University of Florida football coach Urban Meyer was doused with a bucket of the sports drink after the Gators won the national title last week, he technically took a “G bath.”
That’s because Gatorade Co. is re-christening its product simply as “G” — a bold move that has angered the family of the man credited with inventing the legendary beverage.
“We’re mad about it, if you want to know the truth,” said Mary Cade, 79, a Gainesville resident and the widow of Dr. Robert Cade, a former UF professor who helped create the drink in 1965. “I don’t think I talked to anybody that wasn’t upset about it.”
About Gatorade
The drink, created to help hydrate Florida football players, has become an iconic brand over the years and has provided more than $150 million in residuals to UF. Jeremy Foley, the school’s athletics director, did not return a call seeking comment.
Several years ago, Gatorade introduced a commercial that retraced the origin of the drink. The ad featured footage of Gator games at Florida Field, legendary college football announcer Keith Jackson and Robert Cade.
The new bottles and packaging feature a dominant “G” with “Gatorade” appearing in small type.
The TV marketing campaign, launched in the past two weeks, features past and present sports icons, including Muhammad Ali, Billie Jean King, Tiger Woods, Derek Jeter and others. The athletes appear on the screen in black and white, and the commercials end with the letter “G.”
Those ads, produced by actor/director Spike Lee and voiced over by rapper Lil’ Wayne, have created a buzz — not only for the impressive lineup of legends, but over confusion about what product is being sold since the word “Gatorade” is never mentioned.
Cade wonders how someone will spot their favorite sports drink in a store.
“I said, ‘How are people going to find it on the shelf?”’ Cade said. “Why do we need to change this? Why change something that is a success?”
The “G” marketing campaign is the brainchild of Sarah Robb O’Hagan, who was named the company’s chief marketing officer in June.
In a release, Gatorade Co. said it is “redesigning everything from the sidelines to the shelf to appeal to a broader range of athletes and active people,” while using “bold new packaging.”
Reached at the company’s headquarters in Chicago, a Gatorade official, who asked that his name not be used, assured that, “It’s not a name change. It’s still going to be called Gatorade. It’s just a design change on the bottle.”
Cade is not so sure.
At a November meeting in Tampa for the Gatorade Trust — the family members and shareholders of the five scientists credited with inventing Gatorade — the new marketing representatives tried to sell everyone on the “G” marketing strategy, Cade said.
“‘It’s ‘Good.’ ... It’s ‘Glorious.’ ... It’s ‘Grand,”’ Cade said. “It was every ‘G’ word they could think of, except ‘Gatorade.”’
Robert Cade died in November 2007, and his wife knows how he’d feel about the “G” campaign.
“He’d be pretty upset,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to say the words that he might say.”

After reading this article, what are your thoughts about:
1. Changing an iconic name like gatorade that has been successful over the years
2. Do you think it could work?
3. Do you think it will have an overall effect on the consumption of Gatorade?
4. What could have spawned this sort of change in marketing? ex.losing business, younger crowds, etc.

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