An innovation strategy to transition an icon in hydration into a credible player in sports fuel.
“The best long-term innovation approach I’ve seen in 15 years at PepsiCo.”
Challenge
As a long-term innovation partner, we’ve helped build a strategic pipeline of products based on foundational insight, positioning Gatorade beyond hydration and into sports fuel.
Insights
To deliver innovation, we have to keep pace with the pros. By looking for signals and shifts using our Trends Observatory and shadowing athletes and coaches, we uncovered an emerging behaviour which would form the foundation for one of our innovation streams: elite athletes take rest just as seriously as training and performance.
Outcome
This insight formed one stream of investigation in the pipeline: how and when do we deliver recovery protein for athletes in a way which fits the occasion and the brand? We explored formats and formulations for the occasion, engaging with athletes and consumers to help test and refine our hypotheses into a clear development brief. Alongside other innovation streams, this ‘beta' product was featured in Gatorade's 2016 campaign: Your Game is Our Lab, which publicly signalled Gatorade’s transition from a hydration to a sports fuel brand.
Client
Gatorade
Capabilities
Athlete Ethnography
Expert Interviews
Future Landscape Trends
Opportunity Identification
Innovation Workshops
Portfolio Roadmapping
New Product Development
Consumer Co-development
Stakeholder Engagement
Execution Briefs for R&D
