#WinFromWithin
What started out as an experiment in 1965 to help the struggling University of Florida football program has now become one of the most iconic brands in all of sports on the planet as Gatorade is now much a part of its culture as the games itself. Yes, Gatorade got its name from the success attained by the 1967 Orange Bowl champions Florida Gators as opposing Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Head Coach Bobby Dodd credited the magic concoction to the Gators’ win, saying: “We didn’t have Gatorade. That made the difference.” Several generations later, Gatorade is still the top sports drink in the world and its presence in almost all major sporting events is still unprecedented.
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Bur last Monday (April 15) at what is now known as the Gatorade Hoops Center (formerly Hoops Dome) in Mandaluyong City, Gatorade took on a whole new identity, purpose and mantra as literally dozens of the country’s top athletes, sports personalities and sports media practitioners became witnesses to the transformation of the brand to cater to a new breed of athlete and consumer.
“Gatorade is now no longer just a sports drink,” Gatorade Senior Product Manager Mikey Rosales announced to the assembly. “It is now the complete sports fuel for this generation of athletes.”
The event, which attracted Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) players, football aficionados, triathletes as well as coaches from various sports were present to show support for the new campaign as well as take in the atmosphere as the new Gatorade Hoops Center was transformed into a world class events venue for the endeavor. Familiar faces such as Vince “The Prince” Hizon, “Robocop” Alvin Teng and former PBA MVP Atoy Co (who practically monopolized the roast beef section of the buffet), Gilas Pilipinas Team Manager Butch Antonio, running legend Rio de la Cruz, Bullrunner Jaymee Pizarro, PLDT Foundation’s Anthony Pangilinan with his family and sportscasters Mico Halili, Anthony Suntay, Kirk Long, Cedelf Tupas, TJ Manotoc, and Mark Molina as well fellow Yahoo! Sports blogger Bob Guerrero (who gamely took photos for this article). PBA stalwarts Ranidel de Ocampo, Danny Seigle and Dondon Hontiveros also took part in the side challenges which offers (upon completion of a task) a raffle ticket for the major prizes at stake; the grandest of which is a trip to the 2014 NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans.
But the highlight of the undertaking was not only the revealing of the new “G” logo by hosts Chiqui Reyes and Patricia Bermudez-Hizon (who by the way did an excellent job, as always) but the introduction of the G endorsers as the G Rising Stars composed of University of the Philippines (UP) point guard Henry Asilum, Ateneo veteran Juami Tiongson, the Teng brothers, Adamson’s Jericho Cruz, NU’s Jean Mbe and Far Eastern University (FEU) playmaker RR Garcia representing basketball, La Salle’s Nikko Huelgas—an accomplished triathlete and volleyball stars Alyssa Valdez and Den-Den Lazaro of Ateneo with Mika Reyes and two-time UAAP MVP Abigail Maraño from the Lady Spikers were formally introduced. The G Elite “Starting Six” is aptly named. G Elite consists of the champion triathlete Ani de Leon-Brown, the PBA’s Calvin "The Beast" Abueva, Gilas Pilipinas’ LA Tenorio, Azkals Chieffy Caligdong as well as Phil and James Younghusband; truly an elite cast.
The night was punctuated by a video message from Gatorade ambassador Dwyane Wade as he addressed the Filipino community. When the Miami Heat guard said, “Mabuhay!” the crowd applauded feverishly. It was the highlight of the evening...well, the drawing of the two winners to New Orleans was also much anticipated.
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“Gatorade will continue to deliver the scientifically proven hydration and performs benefits that the brand that the brand is built on while using the new and dynamic global visual identity,” Rosales said.
“Alongside its new look, Gatorade will continue to support the country’s top professional basketball and football teams, universities and colleges, as well as high profile sporting events such as the Asian Triathlon Championships, 5150 and Ironman 70.3, not to mention the biggest running events,” Gatorade Philippines declares in its press release.
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The hashtag #WinFromWithin trended on Twitter the whole night as the campaign hit social networking sites. The hashtag is still on and the athletes have been using it to express their support for the new logo as well as the new mission.
Kudos to Mikey Rosales, Ton Gatmaitan and Rick Olivares for a great staging and all the men and women who helped turn the Hoops Center into a world of its own.
#WinFromWithin … Let’s make that trend in our lives as well.
Follow Noel Zarate on Twitter (@NoelZarate)
