• Wall Street Journal, Friday, April 23, 2010 12 PM

Gatorade's new strategy to promote a "before, during and after" approach to hydration, as previously re-reported,  will come to life in a campaign breaking tonight on telecasts of the NBA playoff games, Valerie Bauerlein reports.

The new lineup of "G Series" drinks for athletes is Gatorade's "biggest innovation news in its history," according to the company, which claims dibs on the right to say so by dint of being the inventor of the category. "It's our birthright to come along and say, this is what the category is going to be like for the future," says Gatorade CMO Sarah Robb O'Hagan.

Gatorade redubbed itself "G" last year, attempting a return to its roots as a drink concocted in 1965 by University of Florida researchers for its football team. Robb O'Hagan says the new packaging achieved its aim of reconnecting with teenagers, who saw the drink as something "my parents drink." PepsiCo now wants to expand the Gatorade message to broader sports performance.

Read the whole story at Wall Street Journal »