The Spot: We see two Amish-looking fellows at the helms of two horse-drawn carts. An Amish-looking gal stands in the road between them, then whips off her bonnet and releases it to signal the start of a race. The horse cart carrying 10 bales of hay rumbles ahead, while the cart loaded down with 50 bales remains stuck in place. Cut to a simple chart, showing total calories for both Gatorade (50) and Powerade Option (10). “Ten is less than 50,” says the announcer. “Powerade Option, the low-calorie sports drink.”
Shortly after the ad began airing, Pepsi (which owns Gatorade) sued Coke (which owns Powerade Option). Why? Because the 10-hay-bale Amish horse cart is depicted as faster than the 50-hay-bale cart, implying that athletic performance is better enhanced by 10-calorie Powerade Option than by 50-calorie Gatorade. As the text of the suit alleges, “Indeed, the opposite is true: the calories present in Gatorade supply additional energy to working muscles and, as a result, increase endurance and performance. Powerade Option, which contains negligible calories, cannot refuel athletes in a similar manner.” (I’m taking this text from a Gatorade blog—the very existence of which stunned me. Can we trust the work of a man who writes a blog devoted solely to Gatorade? In this case, I think we can.)
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See the ad.
Tags: Television|
Posted By: ash | Mar 30th