Powerade

Powerade was created by the Coca-Cola Company and first released in 1987. The company developed the soft drink as an alternative to sports drinks, which were becoming more and more popular. Powerade was originally marketed to athletes, who needed a drink that would keep them hydrated during strenuous workouts.[1]

In 2000, Powerade became the official sports drink of the Olympics, alongside Aquarius, another sports drink made by Coca-Cola. It is a rival of another sports drink, Gatorade.[2] In July 2001, the Coca-Cola Company launched a new formula for Powerade including vitamins B₃, B₆ and B₁₂, which play a role in energy metabolism.[3]

In 2007 Powerade acquired Fuze Beverage, a leading energy drink company.

In July 2002, the Coca-Cola Company started in Toogoolawah by updating the bottles of the standard Powerade (previous logo styling) to a new sport-grip bottle.

In 2002, the Coca-Cola Company introduced Powerade Option to the United States, in response to Gatorade's popular Propel. Option is a "low Calorie sports drink" that is colorless and sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium, to provide sugar-conscious consumers with another rehydration choice. Powerade Option took 36% of the Fitness Water category behind Propel's 42%.

In 2007, Powerade Zero was released, a sports drink with electrolytes, which contains no sugar, no calories and no carbohydrates.[4][5]

In June 2009, the Coca-Cola Company bought Glacéau, owner of brands such as VitaminWater and SmartWater, for $4.1 billion, a price tag that signaled the company's seriousness in pursuing growth of non-carbonated beverages.[6] Since then, the company has also given its Glacéau management team control of its Powerade sports drink brand.

Powerade's main competition is Gatorade marketed by the Quaker Oats Company, a division of PepsiCo. Gatorade, which was branded at the University of Florida in 1965, was the first commercially available sports drink in the United States. It now holds a commanding share of the market. As of 2011, Gatorade held a 70% market share to Powerade's 28.5%.[7]

All Sport is a competitor marketed by All Sport, Inc. and distributed by Jel Sert. All Sport was marketed by PepsiCo until 2001, when Gatorade's maker, the Quaker Oats Company was acquired by PepsiCo. All Sport was sold to the Monarch Beverage Company soon after. Powerade and All Sport have each been distributed through their own direct store deliver channels.[8] It was subsequently purchased by Gary Smith, the Chairman & CEO of All Sport, Inc. of Austin, Texas.

Outside the United States, the Lucozade energy drink (manufactured since 1927 by the pharmaceutical company now known as GlaxoSmithKline) competes with Powerade. Lucozade's formulation differs in that it uses primarily glucose and contains caffeine. The more direct competitor to Powerade and Gatorade is Lucozade Sport.

• Powerade is the official sports drink of the Australian rugby league team and the Australian union team, the Australian Football League, PGA Tour, NASCAR (2003–present), NHRA, NCAA, the U.S. Olympic Team (excluding U.S.A. Basketball and U.S. Soccer, which have deals with Gatorade) and many other national Olympic federations, The Football League[9] and many other soccer leagues and teams around the world, FIFA, such as Rangers F.C, Club Universidad de Chile, Club Bolívar, Associação Atlética Ponte Preta, Racing Club de Avellaneda, Independiente de Avellaneda, O'Higgins, Universitario de Sucre, Club Atlético River Plate, Club Cerro Porteño or Club Atlético Peñarol and the IOC in no small part due to their overall contracts with Coca-Cola. Various other competitions also have sponsorship deals with the brand, although Gatorade historically has secured the majority of sponsorships. The drink is also Sponsor of the Honduran Soccer Team C.D. Olimpia.
• Powerade is the Official Hydration Partner of Melbourne Storm.[10]
• The brand is also the exclusive beverage sponsor of the Hoops in the Sun basketball summer league, based at Orchard Beach in the Bronx, New York. It is the only summer basketball league to be sponsored by the brand.

Like its main competitor, Gatorade, Powerade is made with sugar, syrups and salt.[13][14] One Powerade ad campaign stated that Powerade's ION4 is superior to Gatorade, as the claims made by Pepsi, the parent owner of Gatorade were apparently deceptive and false.[15] The courts ruled in favor of Powerade as of August 2009.

Being high in sugar Powerade may contribute to diabetes and weight gain if combined with other sugar sources.[14]

Powerade is also made out of GMOs in certain countries that are authorized to do so.[16]

• Official website