Gatorade: Replay
Gatorade wanted to inspire amateur athletes by demonstrating the brand's role in enabling peak performance and the pursuit of athletic redemption. The client needed to connect emotionally with a target audience who understood the desire for second chances in sport. The challenge was to create a compelling narrative that showcased Gatorade fueling not just physical ability, but also the spirit to overcome past failures and achieve a desired outcome.
Creative Idea
Gatorade recreated a lost soccer match for amateurs, offering a replay to prove redemption was possible.
Gatorade created a unique marketing campaign where they helped amateur soccer players replay a pivotal match they originally lost, using advanced video technology to recreate the exact game conditions and giving them a chance to change their original outcome. By filming their rematch and showing how players could potentially alter their past performance, Gatorade transformed a personal sports moment into an inspiring narrative about second chances and athletic redemption.
Settling the 15 Year Sister Kisser
From Disruptive Spots to Sunday Documentaries
The Replay campaign marked a seismic shift in advertising history, moving away from 30 - second interruptions toward long - form branded content. Created by TBWA\Chiat\Day under the guidance of Lee Clow and Jimmy Smith, the project targeted "lapsed athletes" over 30. The goal was to prove that Gatorade could fuel anyone with an athletic heart, not just pros. The initiative was so successful it was exported to Italy and Mexico and aired as a documentary series on Fox Sports Net to 95 million households.
The Science of the Do Over
This wasn't just a PR stunt; it was a rigorous athletic undertaking. Participants underwent a 90 - day training regimen designed by the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI), involving professional nutrition plans and elite coaching. The production team at Amusement Park Entertainment prioritized authenticity, tracking down the original 1990s referees, cheerleaders, and band members to recreate the atmosphere. In Season 1, one player famously lost 57 lbs during the training period.
Elite Mentors and Life Threatening Stakes
The campaign leveraged Gatorade’s massive athlete roster, featuring "honorary coaches" like Peyton Manning, Dwyane Wade, and Scotty Bowman. While Season 1 settled a 7 - 7 tie (known locally as a "sister - kisser"), Season 2 carried higher stakes. The original 1999 hockey game had been halted after player Kurt LaTarte suffered a life - threatening throat injury from a skate; the replay finally allowed him to finish the game.
Massive Scale on a Micro Budget
The efficiency of the campaign was unprecedented. From an initial investment of just $225,000, the team generated over $3 million in earned media and 581 million total impressions. Most importantly, regional Gatorade sales in the game locations spiked by 63%, proving that hyper - local storytelling could drive massive commercial lift.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
As the leader in sports performance, Gatorade provided elite-level coaching, sports science, and hydration protocols to prepare amateur bodies for a professional-grade rematch.
Category
The category typically focuses on high-octane professional highlights, often ignoring the emotional weight of amateur sports and the long-term psychological impact of past athletic failures.
Customer
Former athletes often dwell on 'the one that got away,' feeling a deep-seated desire to settle old scores and reclaim their identity as competitive players.
Culture
The campaign tapped into a cultural obsession with 'what if' scenarios and the rising popularity of reality-based documentary storytelling that humanizes the athletic experience.
Company
As the leader in sports performance, Gatorade provided elite-level coaching, sports science, and hydration protocols to prepare amateur bodies for a professional-grade rematch.
Category
The category typically focuses on high-octane professional highlights, often ignoring the emotional weight of amateur sports and the long-term psychological impact of past athletic failures.
Strategy:
Transform athletic regret into a high-stakes second chance to prove that Gatorade fuels every athlete's path to redemption.
Customer
Former athletes often dwell on 'the one that got away,' feeling a deep-seated desire to settle old scores and reclaim their identity as competitive players.
Culture
The campaign tapped into a cultural obsession with 'what if' scenarios and the rising popularity of reality-based documentary storytelling that humanizes the athletic experience.
Strategy:
Transform athletic regret into a high-stakes second chance to prove that Gatorade fuels every athlete's path to redemption.
Results
The campaign achieved the following results: - 10,000 tickets for the 'Replay' game were sold out in 90 minutes. - Generated 160 million media impressions. - Named one of CNN's Top Stories of 2009. - Received a six-page feature in Men's Health magazine. - A feature film based on the campaign is currently in development. - 'Replay' became a documentary television series. - The one-hour premiere of the documentary aired nationally on Fox Sports Net (FSN) to its 90 million subscribers in prime time on Sunday night, Thanksgiving weekend. - Gatorade's 'Lineup Finder' allowed former athletes to reconnect with teammates online and nominate their high school teams for upcoming seasons of the show.
10,000
tickets sold out in 90 minutes
160 million
media impressions
90 million
FSN subscribers reached
Strategy Technique
Dramatize the Invisible Benefit
The campaign highlighted Gatorade's role in fueling the spirit for redemption, an emotional benefit beyond physical hydration. It made the intangible desire for second chances a powerful, visible narrative.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Turn Failure into Success
The campaign allowed amateur players to replay a lost match, offering a chance to redeem past failures. It transformed a personal defeat into an inspiring narrative of athletic redemption.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
This campaign's exceptional craft lies in its brilliant central idea, brought to life through a meticulously designed live experience and skillfully documented across multiple content platforms.
The meticulous planning and execution of the entire 'Replay' event, from the rigorous two-month training regimen and community involvement to the sold-out game day, created an authentic and compelling brand experience.
The extensive documentation of the players' journey, training, and the final game for the campaign's online episodes, feature film, and TV series required skilled visual capture to convey raw emotion and dramatic narrative.
The campaign's success stems from the synergy between its powerful, authentic human story, the brand's strategic intervention as an enabler of a unique experience, and the multi-platform content distribution that allowed for deep audience engagement and widespread media coverage.
