PepsiCo Canada, the Canadian licensee for Gatorade, will expand the sports drink’s product portfolio with the launch of the G Series line in Canada next spring.
While the brand’s G2 low-calorie option is already available in Canada, Next year’s launch will more broadly introduce products from Gatorade’s Performance and Pro lines, which launched in the U.S. earlier this summer.
Gatorade’s Performance line includes beverage products the company said are designed for consumption before (Gatorade Prime), during (Gatorade Perform) and after (Gatorade Recover) athletic activity.
The Pro line consists of products previously made available only to professional and elite-level athletes, and includes beverages and food items such as bars and shakes.
Julie Raheja-Perera, marketing director, hydration brands for PepsiCo Canada, said both brands will be marketed under the G Series banner, with messaging that builds on Gatorade’s reputation as a research-driven brand for athletes.
“In the past we have always been a leader in performance hydration,” said Raheja-Perera. “But there’s an opportunity to go beyond that to look at sport nutrition.
“What we’re doing is redefining the core of what Gatorade is. Everything we do is going to be about before, during and after (athletic activity)… G Series is the overarching concept.”
Raheja-Perera said Canadian distribution for the Pro line of products–which will target elite athletes–is not yet finalized. In the U.S., the Pro products are available at nutrition retailer GNC.
According to Raheja-Perera, specific marketing initiatives for Canada will not be finalized until after an extensive athlete testing period. Mixed martial artist Georges St. Pierre and world kayak champion Adam van Koeverden are among the Canadian athletes invited to provide feedback on G Series products.
Raheja-Perera said some of these athletes may be involved in G Series marketing efforts next year. “I absolutely see [athletes] playing a role,” she said.
Gatorade’s Canadian agency partners include creative shop TBWAToronto, public relations firm High Road Communications, sports marketing specialists SDI and media agency OMD.
The product launch was announced last week at the G Series Symposium, a discussion of sports performance issues involving trainers, athletes and nutritionists, in Toronto.
