Case Analysis Ultimate_Writer

Xiaoyi Yin

Beer, J. (2017, July 17). Superstar Athletes Recount Their Lowest Defeats For Gatorade's New

Podcast. Fast Company. Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/40439935/

Superstar-athletes-share-the-stories-of-their-worst-defeats-in-new-gatorade-podcast

Gatorade is well known for producing advertisements that are entertaining, including Be Like Me, one of the best ads by Serena Williams and others featuring fun scenes like the college kids being pranked by the Manning brothers. The company is one of the pioneers of branded content with the series Replay that gave local teams to have a rematch of the biggest games they ever had.

Gatorade is exploring the potential for brand content with the new podcast that “features superstars including Peyton and Eli Manning, Serena Williams, Matt Ryan, J.J. Watt, Karl-Anthony Towns among others talking about their lowest points in their careers” (Beer, 2017, paragraph 2). The Secret to Victory series adopts the title of the brand’s campaign that had been launched earlier. The six-episode series will include a podcast, ads and also content made in association with The Players Tribune. According to Kenny Mitchel, head of consumer engagement, the series is more focused on storytelling as opposed to selling. These stories are aimed at explaining what the brand is all about and not just mentioning the brand.

In the first episode, the Manning brothers talk about the tribulations of their first NFL seasons and how they toughened them for success later. Hosted by Domonique Foxworth a former NFL cornerback, the brothers deliver an engaging and insightful story. Nazanin Rafsanjani, the creative director of Gimlet Creative, one of the partners in creating the series, observed that “there was never a moment where they had to sell Gatorade or talk about the brand” (Beer, 2017, paragraph 6). She stated that the superstars were exposed to the new approach to making podcasts sponsored by Gatorade that does not explicitly entail brand promotion. Apart from the mention that the podcast is “brought to you by Gatorade,” there is no other mention of the brand. Rafsanjani observed that the podcast’s reception would be poor if people thought of it as an ad.

Podcast make the new approach to reach out to the passionate audience by brands. About 57 million Americans listened to a podcast every month in 2016, an increase of 23% from what was recorded in 2015. A new study from NPR indicated that sponsored messages led 75% of the listeners to take action. Most sports stories reflect aspects of triumph. This message would thus be motivational as it highlights successful athletes as people who started by failing and from it got the toughness needed to be where they are. Podcasts facilitate in-depth conversations that bring such stories to life.

According to Mitchell, the podcasts are an effective and convenient form of storytelling. In the case of athletes, for example, there are very many stakeholders including the teams, agencies, leagues, and brands among others, and reaching out to all will require a more detailed form of communication that runs for 30 minutes and not seconds. She observed that it, however, takes longer to ensure that everyone is okay with the content. This means that an athlete, a team, an agent, and a brand among other stakeholders can listen and feel comfortable with this content, making it a longer process. Nevertheless, the process of making this podcast did not involve any shortcuts, and it is one of the reasons it “flexes a different muscle” (Beer, 2017, paragraph 10)