In 1965, researchers at the University of Florida came up with a new sports drink to help better hydrate the Gators football team in the summer heat and humidity. The researchers dubbed the drink “Gatorade,” and it has been synonymous with sports and exercise ever since.
NBA great Michael Jordan first appeared in a Gatorade ad in 1991, with a series of commercials featuring the infectiously catchy “Be Like Mike” jingle. The ads and his on-court dominance helped Jordan become a household name and one of the most famous athletes in American sports history.
Throughout the next three decades, plenty of athletes showed they wanted to Be Like Mike, as Peyton Manning, Derek Jeter, Mia Hamm, and countless other notable sports stars have appeared in a Gatorade ad since.
The brand’s iconic “Is It In You?” slogan in print and TV ads featuring athletes playing their sport and sweating out Gatorade was slowly phased out in recent years.
On Wednesday, the brand announced the slogan and campaign’s return, featuring a new commercial staring Jordan, Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, Las Vegas Aces guard A’Ja Wilson, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, and more.
“Everything about the game has changed, except for the most important thing: what you have inside,” Jordan narrates as the commercial opens and we see the athletes training, then appearing in in-game action.
Nostalgia is a powerful tool, and it seems like Gatorade may have struck all the right notes with this revival.
[YouTube]
About Robert O'Neill