Gatorade marks Fast Twitch rollout with big game giveaway

• Gatorade is celebrating the nationwide rollout of its new energy drink, Fast Twitch, with a social media challenge timed to the Super Bowl, according to a press release. One winner will be awarded three tickets to the game and the chance to run through the stadium tunnel.
• To enter, consumers must post a video of themselves on either TikTok or Instagram that demonstrates what their pre-game stadium run-through would look like. Entrants must use the custom Fast Twitch filter, tag #FastTwitchContest and fill out an online form.
• Fast Twitch, an energy drink designed for athletes, is slated to be released nationwide in early February. Ahead of the roll-out, the product was used exclusively by select NFL athletes through the 2022 season.

The strategic marketing play surrounding Gatorade’s new offering, Fast Twitch, is the latest move by parent company PepsiCo to plow even further into the energy drink sector, a highly segmented category of which the giant already commands a 73% market share, per Euromonitor International data. Calling on PepsiCo’s long standing partnership with the NFL could prove successful in getting the drink to the masses. 

The hashtag challenge is meant to play off the excitement felt by athletes during pre-game rituals. Consumers who enter must submit a video of themselves using the custom Fast Twitch filter, which is designed to resemble a stadium tunnel, as they demonstrate their best run onto the field. One winner will receive three tickets to Super Bowl LVII, slated for Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona, along with a food stipend valued at $2,000 and covered travel fees, which includes a hotel stay. 

Ahead of the game, the winner will also have the opportunity to run through the tunnel at State Farm Stadium, where the game will be hosted, and a chance to “test their skills,” alongside NFL stars, the release detailed. Entries to the contest can be submitted through Jan. 31. 

Fast Twitch was first released during the NFL season last year to select athletes including Buffalo Bills’ Stefon Diggs, Seattle Seahawks’ DK Metcalf and San Francisco 49ers’ George Kittle. The drink, which includes 200 milligrams of caffeine, zero sugar and select vitamins, is meant to reach the 32 million consumers who shy away from the energy drink category out of fear of negative health effects, Anuj Bhasin, general manager of Gatorade, told CNBC. The release follows other efforts by PepsiCo in the space, which most recently included a $550 million investment in Celsius Holdings, a potential competitor to Fast Twitch.

Others have used hype surrounding the 2023 Super Bowl to market their brands. For example, Verizon launched a sweepstakes to celebrate its Welcome Unlimited plan that will reward winners with three consecutive years of Super Bowl tickets. Avocados from Mexico, which also announced it would run an ad during the big game, recently unveiled its own Pantone color and a line of decor tailored for Super Bowl watch parties that consumers can win by entering an online sweepstakes.