Gatorade scores a surprise home run
Posted: Tuesday, July 01, 2008 3:00 AM by Allison Linn
Filed Under:
Sports
The video circulating the Internet these days looks at first like any other snippet of a minor league baseball game, right down to the announcer’s play-by-play banter.
Then comes a hit to left field and, out of nowhere, the ball girl executes an amazing, Spider-Man-like move up the wall to catch the foul ball, tossing it nonchalantly back to a flabbergasted player before taking her seat again.
At this point, the 39-second video seems more like one of those outtakes you might see replayed endlessly on the big screen between innings. In fact, the video in question is an ad for Gatorade, although your only hint that that’s the case is a bottle of the sports drink that the ball girl sips upon taking her seat again.
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| Gatorade |
Stranger still, the makers of Gatorade insist that although they did make the viral video, they didn’t intend to distribute it and they aren't even sure how it got out to the public. The company said they are pleased that it appears to be getting tons of views, and have no plans to put a stop to it.
“This has all been a pleasant surprise, so why not let it happen?” spokeswoman Jill Kinney said.
As more viewers adopt technology that allows them to fast-forward through television ads, the Internet has become a prime new medium for companies to ply their wares.
Unfortunately, most of the efforts have been weak, ranging from companies who can’t even be bothered to put their traditional ads on the Web to those who build elaborate Web sites that require way too much time and effort on the part of the user.
Gatorade’s viral ad is much better than that -- it gets your attention, doesn’t take much time to watch and provokes your curiosity. Also, it’s easy enough to share with friends.
Kinney said the sports drink maker originally thought about using the video as a starting point for a more traditional ad campaign, but those plans have been scrapped for now.
That’s too bad, because it seems like this would have been a great launching pad for a pairing between old mediums and new ones -- another area where many companies are still struggling.
On the other hand, at this point Gatorade may feel like it doesn’t need to expend the money and energy required to expand the campaign. Thanks to the mysterious leak, the promotion is out there and it’s garnering Gatorade a lot of attention.
Click here to watch the ad.
