Narrated by Jordan himself, the first major ad also brings back the brand’s classic aesthetic of black and white images and film of athletes, highlighted with colorful Gatorade-flavored sweat. The look is the same, while the names have changed. Now it’s Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson, Jayson Tatum, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, and Josh Allen all perspiring the brand colors.

The power of a Gatorade ad

Jordan’s voiceover opens over modern sports clips. “Everything about the game has changed, except the most important thing: What you have inside.”

In research commissioned by the brand, 53% of Gen Z athletes who stopped playing sports cited external factors like social pressures and unrealistic expectations as reasons. By focusing on the internal motivation, inspiration, and gratification of playing sports, Gatorade is hoping it can provide some positive reinforcement amid all the other noise young athletes are hearing. But let’s face it: it’s also hoping to sell a helluva lot of Gatorade. 

It’s still the clear market leader, with two-thirds of all sports drink sales, according to Beverage Digest. But Gatorade is fighting off growing competitors like Bodyarmor and Prime, as well as a broader downturn in sports drink consumption. 

Generally speaking, a brand needs to tell us why we should care about it more than any other brand. Sure, it’s about the product, the flavors, the quality. But in a consumer category like sports drinks, there will always need to be some kind of extra motivation. Something else that forges an emotional connection with the audience. 

What this spot and campaign gets right is Gatorade’s clear recognition of its unique cultural differentiation. This leverages it in a way that acknowledges and celebrates what’s changed in both sport and culture over the past 30 years, but also what remains the same.