Powerade is a sports drink created and distributed by the Coca-Cola Company since 1988. Its primary competitor is Gatorade, which is owned by PepsiCo since 2001.
History
Powerade was created by the Coca-Cola Company and first released in 1988. The company developed the soft drink as an alternative to sports drinks, which were becoming more and more popular. Powerade was originally marketed to athletes, who needed a drink that would keep them hydrated during strenuous workouts.
In 2000, Powerade became the official sports drink of the Olympic Games, alongside Aquarius, another sports drink made by Coca-Cola. It is a rival of another sports drink, Gatorade.[ Coca-Cola English – Productos ]
In July 2001, the Coca-Cola Company launched a new formula for Powerade including vitamins B3, B6 and B12, which play a role in energy metabolism.
In July 2002, the Coca-Cola Company started in Toogoolawah by updating the bottles of the standard Powerade (previous logo styling) to a new sport-grip bottle. The redesign came to North America in 2005.
In 2002, the Coca-Cola Company 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 choice. Powerade Option took 36% of the Propel Water category behind Propel's 42%.
In 2007, Powerade Zero was released, a sports drink with electrolytes, which contains no sugar, no calories and no carbohydrates.
In 2007, Coca-Cola acquired Fuze Beverage, a leading energy drink company.
In June 2009, the Coca-Cola Company bought Glacéau, owner of brands such as Vitaminwater and SmartWater for $4.1 billion.
Competition
Powerade's main competitor is
Gatorade marketed by the Quaker Oats Company, a division of
PepsiCo. Gatorade, which was branded at the University of Florida in 1965, was the first commercially available sports drink in the United States.
It now holds a commanding share of the market. As of 2011, Gatorade held a 70% market share compared to Powerade's 28.5%.
All Sport is a competitor marketed by All Sport, Inc. and distributed by Jel Sert. All Sport was marketed by PepsiCo until 2001, when Gatorade's maker, the Quaker Oats Company was acquired by PepsiCo. All Sport was sold to the Monarch Beverage Company soon after. Powerade and All Sport have each been distributed through their own direct store deliver channels.
Outside the United States, the Lucozade energy drink (manufactured since 1927 by the pharmaceutical company now known as GlaxoSmithKline) competes with Powerade. Lucozade's formulation differs in that it uses primarily glucose and contains caffeine. The more direct competitor to Powerade and Gatorade is Lucozade Sport.
Sponsorships
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Powerade is the official sports drink of the Australian rugby league team and the Australian union team, the Australian Football League, PGA Tour, NASCAR (2003–present), NHRA,
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Powerade is the Official Hydration Partner of Melbourne Storm.
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The brand is also the exclusive beverage sponsor of the Hoops in the Sun basketball summer league, based at Orchard Beach in the Bronx, New York. It is the only summer basketball league to be sponsored by the brand.
Ingredients
United States
Source:
Germany
Source (ingredients for
Mountain Blast flavor):
Criticism
Like its main competitor, Gatorade, Powerade is made with sugar, syrups, and salt.
One Powerade
ad campaign stated that Powerade's ION4 is superior to Gatorade, due to it being the only complete sports drink on the market. The claim, made by Coca-Cola, the parent owner of Powerade, was contested by PepsiCo, the parent owner of Gatorade, as deceptive and false.
A Manhattan federal court judge ruled in favor of Powerade in August 2009, stating that SVC had "not shown either a likelihood of irreparable injury or a likelihood of success on the merits".
