Gatorade currently dominates the sports drink market. This document considers targeting active adults aged 50 and over as a new market for Gatorade. A survey of active adults over 50 found that most exercise regularly but prefer water over energy drinks. While many recognize and like the Gatorade brand, the majority would not try a sports drink targeted to their age. However, the data supports starting a new water product line targeting active females over 50 who exercise daily. This new water product could build on Gatorade's brand recognition and meet the hydration needs of an underserved market.

1. Gatorade for the 50+ Market
MKTG 632
Group # ** - Gatorade
(Names of Group Members)
December 9th, 2002

2. Executive Summary
The purpose of this proposal is to focus on the future of Gatorade and to
demonstrate the advantageousness of considering, researching and possibly developing a new
target audience for the Gatorade product line. In order to continue to be the market leader of this
particular industry, Gatorade has to look in other directions as far as gaining new segments or
developing new market strategies. If they fail to do so, copy-cat products will slowly chip away
their market share and increase competition. “Backed by 35+ years of research, Gatorade has
proven rehydration and performance benefits over water and other beverages,” (Gatorade
Facts). The brand is geared towards athletes who engage in intensive physical activities. The
company sponsors many professional sports leagues. Currently, Gatorade holds over 85% of the
sports beverage market, so initially it seemed unreasonable for them to change the target
audience that has continued to work for them. Yet, we saw an open area on our perceptual map
that we felt Gatorade might want to explore: the age 50+ market. We conducted a survey to see
if the market would be receptive to a sports beverage product marketed towards them. Upon
completion of the data analysis for our Gatorade survey, which screened for the active adult age
50 and over demographic, the potential of a new target audience seems difficult to support.
However, there are several findings from the survey that supports the possibility of starting a
Gatorade water product line which targets active persons age 50 and over. Perhaps, they could
even change their current “Propel” bottled water line to target the active persons age 50 and over
market. Some of the more significant findings are as follows:
1. 50% of the 44 active persons age 50 and over who returned a complete and
acceptable response to an exercise frequency question reported that they exercise
once a day.
2. 71% of the 28 active females age 50 and over who returned a complete and
acceptable response to the willingness to try question would try a sports beverage that
targets their age demographic.
3. 92% of the 24 persons age 50 and over who exercise at least once a day and returned
a complete and acceptable response to the water ranked usage question consume
water more often than any other drink before, during or after exercise.
These statistics support the recommendation that Gatorade could start a new bottled water
product line or change its Propel bottled water product line to target females age 50 and over
who exercise once a day.
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3. Table of Contents
I. Executive Summary…………………………………………………………………2
II. Table of Contents ………………………………………………………………….. 3
III. Main Body of the Report
i. Part 1: Market Profile ……………………………………………………………4-5
ii. Part 2: Target Segment ………………………………………………………….6
iii. Part 3: Consumer Behavior …………………………………………………….6-12
iv. Part 4: Recommendations ………………………………………………………12-13
v. Sources Used ……………………………………………………………………14
IV. Appendix
i. Preliminary Proposal ……………………………………………………………...15-17
ii. Final Proposal ……………………………………………………………………18-23
iii. First Draft of Questionnaire ……………………………………………………..24-27
iv. Final Draft of Questionnaire …………………………………………………….28-31
v. Demographic Tables & Charts …………………………………………………...32-34
vi. Additional Tables & Charts ……………………………………………………..35-52
vii. Completed Questionnaires (located in other binder)…………………………… end
viii. SPSS Table of Coded Data …………………………………………………….53-64
ix. Powerpoint Slides ……………………………………………………………….65-67
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4. Part One- Market Profile
PRODUCT CATEGORY
Sports beverage market was established to produce beverages, other than water or juice,
for athletes to drink while exercising or playing sports. These types of products have special
ingredients such as vitamins and electrolytes to increase performance levels. Water may keep
you from being dehydrated but it doesn’t provide you with the minerals lost while sweating.
Juices contain too much sugar and carbohydrates, which could slow you down. Athletes are
constantly looking for ways to sustain or increase their level of performance. Luckily, Gatorade
and Powerade have been able to supply these athletes with drinks that contain the necessary
ingredients to help their bodies regain energy needed to finish that crucial 4th quarter or 9th inning
to win a championship.
MARKET SIZE
According to the Bureau of Labor & Statistics, there are at least 1 million professional
athletes in the United States. The number of non-professional athletes is estimated to be twice as
much as the paid professionals. The growth rates of this market continue to grow at a consistent
rate because more and more people participate in sports every year. Sports beverage companies
must forecast their marketing strategies to meet the demands of this growing segment.
COMPETITIVE STRUCTURE OF THE MARKET
The competitive structure of the market follows consumer preferences as they change
over time. Companies are constantly monitoring consumer behavior to determine what they
need to do to accommodate the consumers’ needs as far as flavors, effects from content, pricing,
packaging, and etc. The first to introduce a consumer inspired product usually captures a big
chunk of the market share. The brands that follow suit, slow captures some of the market share
but hardly ever dominates because consumers tend to be brand loyal in this market, and are
hesitant to try new products.
COMPETITORS
The primary competitors in the sports drink market are Powerade and All Sport.
Powerade is the main competitor of Gatorade. Powerade and All Sport are discussed further in
the ‘Market Leaders’ section.
TARGETED SEGMENTS
Primary Target- Professional/Non-professional athletes
This group of people play sports and exercise 1.5-4 hours, 4-7 days a week. During those
strenuous workouts, a lot of vital fluids are being lost and sports beverages are being
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5. consumed to retain those minerals. This segment allows the company to gain high
exposure through sporting events, especially those that are being televised worldwide.
Secondary Target- Physically active people
According to the website “Body and Fitness,” people who want to lead a healthy life,
needs to participate in cardio activity 3-5 days a week for at least an hour. This segment
contains a large number of people who are consistently thinking about their health and
will follow a consistent fitness program that will keep them in shape. Sports beverages
will be there to help assist them in their life-long goal of being fit.
LEADERS & FOLLOWERS
Gatorade is the market leader for the sports beverage industry because it holds over 80%
of the market share. Since the launch of their product this company has been able to increase
their revenue annually through sponsoring worldwide sporting events, using high profile athletes
as their spokespeople, and improving their products to give athletes what they need to perform at
a high level.
Powerade is the second company to introduce a beverage similar to Gatorade with an
emphasis on containing Vitamin B. It captures less than 20% of the market share and was
recently bought by Coca-Cola. Recently, it has been reported of having a growth increase of
20% (Coca-Cola). Powerade is redeveloping their marketing strategy to better compete against
Gatorade and to increase their market share in the near future.
All Sport, formerly owned by Gatorade's company Pepsi, is another sports beverage that
contains the most vitamins such as Vitamin C, B6, and B12. The drink contains the same type of
ingredients as Gatorade, but has lesser electrolytes and more vitamins. It is currently rank #3 in
the market and holds 9% of the market share (Monarch Beverages). The brand is currently
extending their product line, which will be launching in 2003.
BASES OF SEGMENTATION & OPPORTUNITIES
Besides marketing to athletes in the age range of 18-35, Gatorade is expanding its line to
other segments: younger kids/athletes aged 8-12 and the Latino Market.
Gatorade understands that kids usually engage in physical activities during recess or after
school play and they tend to get dehydrated quickly (Pepsi Co.). Children need to consume at
least 12 ounces of fluid to stay hydrated. As a result, the company has produced Gatorade in
smaller sized bottles and appealing flavors for this younger market.
Gatorade has also recognized an opportunity in the Latino market with the population
estimated at 35 million. They introduced Gatorade Extremo with exotic flavors like Mango,
Tropico, and Citrico which also has the same ingredients of the original Gatorade (Pepsi Co).
Since Gatorade has been able to look beyond the market of the athletes, they should see
that there is an opportunity to market their product to people aged 50 and over. The Baby
Boomer generation is the largest generation in history, therefore this could be a very lucrative
market to target. We believe that there is great potential within this segment because as people
get older, they become more aware of how important it is to lead a healthy life. Therefore, these
people will do whatever it takes to lead a healthy lifestyle.
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6. Part 2: Target Segment
The segment of people aged 50 and over seems to be a highly attractive market. In the
United States alone, there are 45+ million people in the age range of 50 and over. According to
the 1997 Lifestyle Market Analyst, older adults frequently engage in these types of activities:
tennis, running/jogging, golf, walking, and snow skiing (Gatorade Summit). Although these
activities are not as intensive, these people still need some sort of fluid replenishment. With a
beverage like Gatorade, they will be able to achieve long endurance and enjoy such activities.
According to the Fact Book on Aging, people 65 and over, spend 5.7 hours shopping per
week, and persons aged 55 to 64 spend 6.5 hours in comparison (Gatorade Summit). This is
beneficial for Gatorade because these individuals still have to shop for groceries and often times
have more time to do it than younger individuals since many of them are retired. With years of
experience as a consumer, this particular segment knows what brands are good and which brands
are not as reliable. This indicates that they tend to be very brand loyal especially if they started
using/ consuming a brand during the earlier part of their life.
We feel that Gatorade can further dominate the beverage industry if they market their
drink towards this segment because of its large population, consumption experience, and brand
loyalty. Because of past success in introducing their product to a new market such as the Latino
market, this should encourage them to explore the market of people aged 50 and over. In
conducting further research by distributing surveys to people in the SF Bay Area, we will be able
to determine whether or not it will be beneficial for Gatorade to extend their product line to this
segment.
Part 3: Consumer Behavior
Management Decision Problem: Should our Gatorade Unit try to reposition itself to target
athletic persons ages 50 and over?
• Gatorade currently holds 80% of the sports drink market. If it were to change its target
consumer that 80% has a high risk of declining, and immediate rapid growth doesn’t
seem supportable when targeting active persons over 50 considering the statistics below.
Gatorade should reject idea to change target audience to active persons over 50 years of age.
This statistic alone is enough for Gatorade to keep its current target audience which has
awarded it 80% of the US sports drink market.
1. 81% of the 43 active people age 50 and over who returned a complete and acceptable
response to a ranked usage question don’t consume any energy drinks at all.
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7. Age * Energy Drinks ranked usage Crosstabulation
Count
Energy Drinks ranked usage
not consumed consumed consumed
consumed often sometimes rarely Total
Age 50-55 25 3 1 1 30
56-60 5 2 1 8
71 and over 5 5
Total 35 5 2 1 43
This statistic exhibits the lack of promise in the male portion of the active persons age 50 and
over target group.
2. 62.5% of the 16 males age 50 and over who returned a complete and acceptable
response to a willingness to try question would never try a senior sports beverage that
targets them.
Sex * Willingness To Try Senior Beverage Crosstabulation
Count
Willingness To Try
Senior Beverage
no yes Total
Sex male 10 6 16
female 8 20 28
Total 18 26 44
This statistic represents the low usability of Gatorade sports drinks before, during or after
exercising for active persons age 50 and over who exercise once a day.
3. 83% of the 46 active persons age 50 and over who exercise at least once a day and
returned a complete and acceptable response to an energy drink rank question have
not consumed energy drinks before, during or after exercising.
Exercise Frequency * Energy Drinks ranked usage Crosstabulation
Count
Energy Drinks ranked usage
not consumed consumed consumed
consumed often sometimes rarely Total
Exercise rarely 3 1 4
Frequency once a month 2 2
once a week 13 1 1 1 16
once a day 20 3 1 24
Total 38 5 2 1 46
This statistic represents the favoritism of water before, during and after exercising at least once
a day for active persons over the age of 50 over any other drink. However, this statistic also
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8. reveals the potential for a possible Gatorade alternative involving a water product line
specifically targeting active persons over the age of 50.
4. 92% of the 47 active persons age 50 and over who exercise at least once a day and
returned a complete and acceptable response to a water ranked usage question
consume water more than any other drink.
Exercise Frequency * Water ranked usage Crosstabulation
Count
Water ranked usage
most consumed
consumed often Total
Exercise rarely 4 4
Frequency once a month 2 2
once a week 14 3 17
once a day 22 2 24
Total 42 5 47
Research Problem: To determine the potential market and sales of targeting athletic persons
over 50.
• Even though the market and sales do not seem promising for the Gatorade product
line for persons over 50, a new water product line does seem potentially
profitable.
Research Question: Will Gatorade be able to improve its market share in the sports beverage
market and increase its profits substantially?
• For a new Gatorade water product line, the market of active persons over 50
seems promising when considering the statistics shown below.
Gatorade should consider starting a new water product line or take its new water product line
Propel and target active females ages 50 and over.
This statistic exhibits illustrates the brand recognition and popularity of Gatorade products in
general.
1. 71% of the 27 active persons age 50 and over who have tried Gatorade products and
returned a completed and acceptable response to a Gatorade opinion question
generally like Gatorade products.
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9. Gatorade Opinion by Age Group
100%
90%
Percentage of
Respondents
80%
70%
60% dislike
50%
40% like
30%
20%
10%
0%
50-55 56-60 71 and
over
Age Group
Age * Gatorade Opinion Crosstabulation
Count
Gatorade Opinion
not tried no opinion dislike like Total
Age 50-55 9 6 15 30
56-60 3 3 1 7
71 and over 2 1 1 4
Total 14 1 10 16 41
The more frequently members of the target audience exercise, the more the thirst need is
recognized and has the ability to be fulfilled. This statistic displays the opportunity for thirst
need fulfillment in the active persons age 50 and over demographic.
2. 50% of the 44 active persons age 50 and over who returned a complete and
acceptable response to an exercise frequency question reported that they exercise
once a day.
Age * Exercise Frequency Crosstabulation
Count
Exercise Frequency
rarely once a month once a week once a day Total
Age 50-55 3 1 14 13 31
56-60 1 1 1 5 8
71 and over 1 4 5
Total 4 2 16 22 44
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10. Exercise Frequency
9% 5% rarely
once a month
50% once a week
36%
once a day
This statistic demonstrates the promising future that lies in targeting active persons age 50 and
over with a Gatorade water product line.
3. 58% of the 43 active persons age 50 and over who returned a complete and
acceptable response to the willingness to try question would try a sports beverage that
targets their age demographic.
Age * Willingness To Try Senior Beverage Crosstabulation
Count
Willingness To Try
Senior Beverage
no yes Total
Age 50-55 12 18 30
56-60 2 6 8
71 and over 4 1 5
Total 18 25 43
Willingness to try New Sports
Beverage
42% no
58% yes
This statistic supports the theory of effectiveness in targeting active females age 50 and over
instead of males.
4. 71% of the 28 active females age 50 and over who returned a complete and
acceptable response to the willingness to try question would try a sports beverage that
targets their age demographic.
10

11. Sex * Willingness To Try Senior Beverage Crosstabulation
Count
Willingness To Try
Senior Beverage
no yes Total
Sex male 10 6 16
female 8 20 28
Total 18 26 44
Willingess to try New Sports Beverage by
Gender
80%
Percentage of
Respondents
60%
male
40%
female
20%
0%
no yes
Response by Gender
This statistic also supports targeting a female over 50 market.
5. 52% of the 17 active females age 50 and over who have tried Gatorade and returned
complete and acceptable responses to the Gatorade opinion question generally like
Gatorade products.
Sex * Gatorade Opinion Crosstabulation
Count
Gatorade Opinion
not tried no opinion dislike like Total
Sex male 6 2 2 6 16
female 9 8 9 26
Total 15 2 10 15 42
This statistic is an expected one, however it does show the potential of starting a water product
line that targets active females over 50 or changing Gatorade’s current Propel water line.
6. 92% of the 24 persons age 50 and over who exercise at least once a day and returned
a complete and acceptable response to the water ranked usage question consume
water more often than any other drink before, during or after exercise.
11

12. Exercise Frequency * Water ranked usage Crosstabulation
Count
Water ranked usage
most consumed
consumed often Total
Exercise rarely 4 4
Frequency once a month 2 2
once a week 14 3 17
once a day 22 2 24
Total 42 5 47
Part 4: Recommendations
PRODUCT POSITIONING
We recommend that Gatorade not reposition its primary product (Gatorade) to target
people who are 50 years and older. Yet, we feel that they may want to create a new line of water
specifically targeting women age 50 and over.
PRODUCT STRATEGY
Our potential customers need to be aware that hydrating yourself is important. Since they
are physically active, it is important that they drink the proper liquids to stay hydrated and
replenish nutrients that their bodies have lost. Luckily, the Gatorade water line will provide all
the essential nutrients necessary for aging active adults. The new water line by Gatorade will be
offered in a squirt bottle that is made out of plastic, which seems to be the preferred packaging of
our survey respondents.
PRICING
For one bottle of Gatorade we will charge $1.50 and this will come in a 20 oz. size. We
know that people who are 50 and older don’t like to spend a lot of money, and we have tried to
price our product accordingly. We don’t want to make our customers feel that they are paying
too much for the product. So, our price will be similar to our competitors in the water market.
In fact, we are actually priced below some of our competition.
PROMOTION
Since this is a new product it is very crucial that we heavily advertise, and do numerous
sales promotions. We need to advertise to let our target audience know that there is a product
out there like ours, and let them know the benefits that come along with using our product. As
for the sales promotion we can give out free samples or coupons so that people will try our
product. This will help them to discover how our product tastes and how it can benefit them.
For our advertising objectives, we want to increase brand awareness by 10 %. Although most
people have already heard about Gatorade, we feel that the target age group has not been
marketed to, which may have prevented them from trying it. We are basically trying to fill an
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13. open area on the perceptual map. In addition, we want to generate more interest with our
advertising.
DISTRIBUTION
Our product will be available at all supermarkets like Albertson’s and Safeway and
convenient store chains, like 7-11 and AM/PM. If we can get contracts with gyms, such as 24-
Hour Fitness, we would like to sell our product there as well. These forms of distribution will be
suitable for our product, because the target market already goes to these places to buy beverages
and other necessities.
IMPLEMENTATION & FEASIBILITY
The money for our proposed plan is coming from Pepsi Co., who owns Gatorade, which
will supply us with enough money to start the new line of Gatorade waters. (Quaker Oats owns
Gatorade, and Quaker Oats is owned by Pepsi Co.) We will be able to implement our plan right
away, because we have the money and the facilities to start making our product right away. Yet,
we feel it would be best if Gatorade continued doing research along the way to make sure they
are best fulfilling their target markets needs and wants.
13

14. Sources Used (not done properly)
http://134.53.40.1/mkt/lesserja/FOXDM/Summit%20presentation.ppt
http://www2.coca-cola.com/presscenter/earnings04162002.html
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.nr0.htm
http://www.bodyandfitness.com/Information/Fitness/Research/research.htm
http://documents.gatorade.com/gatorade_timeline.pdf
http://www.gatorade.com
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/1676.55034
http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~ml428298/esp/memo2.htm
http://www.pepsico.com/investors/annual-reports/2000/quaker.shtml
http://www.pepsico.com/investors/annual-reports/2001/worldwide_beverages4.shtml
http://www.pepsico.com/news/gatorade/2002/20020321g-english.shtml
http://www.pepsico.com/news/gatorade/2002/20020606g.shtml
http://www.pepsico.com/news/gatorade/2002/20020909g.shtml
http://www.quakeroats.com/qfb_OurBrands/Gatorade/GatoradeThirstQuencher.cfm
http:// www.monarchbeverages.com
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