POWERade

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For the hockey arena, see Powerade Centre.
The Powerade sports drink logo
The Powerade sports drink logo

Powerade is a sports drink manufactured by The Coca-Cola Company and currently number two in the sports drink market worldwide. It was first introduced in 1988, starting in soda fountains. By 1992 the beverage was launched nationally in the United States.[1] Powerade's primary competitor is Gatorade. As of July 2007, Powerade has grown to take 13.4 percent of the United States market in its category[2] Gatorade remains the market leader with about 84.2 percent market share.[2]

Contents

[edit] Contents

Ingredients:[3]

Nutrition Facts:

Note: Standard 8 ounce servings meet the FDA definition of 'low sodium' and have less sodium than a glass of milk. [4]

[edit] Marketing

In 1994, Powerade became the official sports drink of the 1996 Olympic Games alongside Aquarius, another sports drink made by Coca-Cola. [5] In July 2001, Coca-Cola launched a new formula for Powerade including vitamins B3, B6 and B12, which play a role in energy metabolism.

In July 2005, the Coca-Cola Company updated the bottles of the standard POWERade (previous logo styling) to a new sport-grip bottle.

In 2005, Powerade introduced Powerade Option to the United States, in response to Gatorade's popular Propel. Option is a "low Calorie sports drink" that is colorless and sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium, to provide sugar-conscious consumers with another rehydration "option". Powerade has taken 36% of the Fitness Water category behind Propel's 42%

Powerade also conducted a marketing campaign that took advantage of the rumors surrounding the sequels to the first Matrix movie, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions,[citation needed] wherein an agent would encourage viewers to "Drink more POWERade (previous logo styling)". Powerade vending machines can also be seen in some levels of the Enter the Matrix video game ,and the option flavor 'Matrix Green' was also developed as part of this campaign. It was also featured in Tony Hawk's American Wasteland.

In June 2007, Coca-Cola bought Glaceau, owner of brands such as vitaminwater and smartwater, for $4.1 billion, a price tag that signaled the company’s seriousness in pursuing growth of non-carbonated beverages. Since then, the company has also given its Glaceau management team control of its Powerade sports drink brand, which competes directly with Gatorade.

[edit] Competition

Powerade's main competition is Gatorade marketed by the Quaker Oats Company, a division of PepsiCo. Kool-Aid also holds a fair share of potential sports drink consumers. CeraSport made by Cera Products Inc. is a non-glucose, rice-based oral rehydration and performance drink. All Sport is a competitor marketed by The Monarch Beverage Company, of Atlanta, Georgia. All Sport was marketed by PepsiCo until 2001, when Gatorade's maker, the Quaker Oats Company was acquired by PepsiCo. All Sport was sold off to the Monarch Beverage Company soon after. Also, Vitamin Water looks to gain more of the sports drink market with its iconic spokespeople (David Ortiz, 50 Cent, Kasey Khane, Brian Urlacher, Tracy McGrady and Gilbert Arenas) and wide selection of formulas. It is worth noting that Vitamin Water is now owned by The Coca-Cola Company.

Outside the United States the Lucozade energy drink (manufactured since 1927 by the pharmaceutical company now known as GlaxoSmithKline) competes with Gatorade. Lucozade's formulation differs in that it uses primarily glucose and contains caffeine. The more direct competitor to Gatorade and Powerade is Lucozade Sport.

[edit] Flavors

Powerade comes in many flavors, including:

  • Mountain Blast (Berry flavored, Bright blue in color)
  • Lemon-Lime (Lemon-lime flavored, Greenish-Yellow in color)
  • Fruit Punch (Fruit Punch Flavored, Bright red in color)
  • Orange Burst (Orange flavored, Orange in color)
  • Black Cherry Lime (Black Cherry & Lime flavored, Dark green in color)
  • Jagged Ice (Blackberry and Raspberry flavored, Deep Dark Purple in color)
  • Arctic Shatter (cherry, peach, and guava flavored, Frosty white in color)
  • Green Squall (Kiwi, Melon, & Pineapple flavored, Bright neon green in color)
  • Mango (Mango flavored, Light orange in color)
  • Strawberry Melon (Strawberry and Melon Flavored, Reddish-Orange in color)
  • Black Cherry (Black cherry flavored, clear in color)
  • Strawberry Lemonade (Strawberry Lemonade, pink in color)

International flavors:

  • Berry ice (Australia & New Zealand, Bright red in color)
  • Aussie Guise (introduced in Australia)
  • Solar Flare (Orange & Tangerine flavored, orange in color)
  • Mt. Netteberg Rush (red fruit punch)

Powerade Zero:

  • Mixed Berry (A light Blue color)
  • Strawberry (A light Red color)
  • Grape (A light Purple color)



In Canada there are a few other flavors available, including:

  • Ice Berry Wave (White Grape and Strawberry in flavor, Clear in color)
  • Solar Flare (Orange & Tangerine flavored, orange in color)
  • Green Squall (Pineapple & Melon flavored, Bright neon green in color)
  • Berry Blitz (Berry flavored, Bright blue in color)
  • Cherry Shock (Cherry flavored, Dark Red in color)

In Europe there are a few other flavors available, including:

  • Forest Force
  • Citrus Charge
  • Ice Storm
  • Wild Cherry
  • Wild Berries
  • Gold (Grapefruit-Lemon flavored) - Released during the 2004 Olympics under the name Gold Medal
  • Kiwi and Watermelon (green coloured) - released in support of the Ireland national rugby union team

In New Zealand flavours also include:

  • Full Eighty (green colored)- released to coincide with the launch of the Super 14 international rugby competition.
  • Silver Charge (light-gray colored) - released in support of the All Blacks rugby team

In Australia flavours also include:

  • Gold Rush (Mango flavour that coincides with the Australia national rugby union team).
  • (Grapefruit flavour complete with a green and gold sipper cap in support of the Australian Soccer team the Socceroos)
  • Artic Lime (50% less calories)

In Mexico flavors also include:

  • Green Apple (green colored)- released as a limited edition during the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea-Japan, but returned in 2003 as a permanent flavor.
  • Grapefruit (pink-colored).
  • Lemonade (gray-colored).
  • Mango Citrico - citrus with mango.
  • AM Citrus Sun
  • AM Orange Blend

[edit] Discontinued Flavors

  • Tidal Burst ("Blend of Sour Fruit Flavors," Teal in color)
  • Infrared Freeze (Fruit and Orange Flavored, Dark orange-red in color)
  • Black Bust (Blend of black licorice and mango, Black in color)
  • Matrix Green (Marketing tie-in to The Matrix and its sequels)
  • Maracuya (Mexico) - 2004 Olympic Games limited edition
  • ¡Gol! (Mexico) - Kiwi fruit flavor - conmemorating the release of the film Goal! in 2005
  • Tricolor (Mexico) - green grape flavor, light-green colored - released in support of the Mexico national soccer team in 2006.
  • Pasion Azteca (Mexico) - Kiwi fruit flavor - released in support of the Mexico national soccer team in 2007.
  • Powerade Light (Mexico) - it was available in three flavors: lemon, cherry and strawberry.

[edit] Criticism

Like its main competitor, Gatorade, Powerade is made with sugar syrups and salt. [6] One Powerade ad campaign has been accused of being deceptive and false by Pepsi, the parent maker of Gatorade. [7]

[edit] Trivia

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • Powerade is the official sports drink of the Wallabies, All Blacks , Socceroos, the AFL, PGA Tour, NASCAR, NHRA races, the U.S. Olympic Team (excluding U.S.A. Basketball and U.S. Soccer, which have deals with Gatorade) and many other national Olympic federations, The Football League[8] and FIFA, in no small part due to their overall contracts with Coca-Cola. Various other competitions also have sponsorship deals with the brand, although Gatorade historically has secured the lion's share of sponsorships.
  • In 2004, after sweeping the Pocono Raceway races that year, Nextel Cup driver Jimmie Johnson was fined $10,000 for covering up the POWERADE logo with the logo of his primary sponsor, Lowe's. This was done to protect his and his team's relationship with Gatorade and PepsiCo.
  • Powerade also owns the naming rights to the NHRA's premier championship series.
  • Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James and Manchester United star Wayne Rooney have become two of the brand's primary spokespersons.
  • The logo can also be seen several times in the movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, as one of Ricky Bobby's (Will Ferrell) sponsors. Ricky also states that "due to a binding endorsement contract", he must mention Powerade each time he says grace.
  • When it first came onto the market, Powerade was lightly carbonated. It has since discontinued this, however.
  • Powerade Sponsor's the Bandolero Bandits in the 2008 Quaker Steak & Lube Summer Shootout Series at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

[edit] References

  1. ^ POWERade Fact Sheet (2001-12-03). Retrieved on 2008-04-10.
  2. ^ a b State of the Industry - Beverage Blockbusters 2007 Beverage industry, Jennifer Ziegler, July 2007.
  3. ^ Powerade - The BevNET.com Review
  4. ^ ABC News: Sports Drinks: Winners and Losers
  5. ^ Coca-Cola english - Productos
  6. ^ Critics Say Soda Policy for Schools Lacks Teeth - New York Times
  7. ^ CNN.com - Transcripts
  8. ^ COMMERCIAL PARTNERS | The Football League | Commercial | Commercial Partners

[edit] External links

Brands of Sports drinks  v • d • e 

10-K - 100plus - Accelerade - All Sport - Aquarius - Cera Sport - Gatorade - Lucozade - Pocari Sweat - Powerade - Propel - Sporade - Staminade