• Brandweek, Tuesday, December 30, 2008 10:45 AM

Flagship brand Gatorade Thirst Quencher now sports a large letter G -- representing "the heart, hustle and soul of athleticism" -- next to the brand's iconic bolt, and line extensions have been renamed to "convey the attitude of a tough-love coach or personal trainer," according to a company press release.

Gatorade Fierce is now Bring It; X-Factor is Be Tough; Gatorade AM is Shine On and Rain is now No Excuses, Todd Wasserman and Kenneth Hein report.

We have checked the calendar; that's Jan. 1 just ahead of us, not April 1. In fact, you can see the new packaging here.

Gerry Khermouch, editor of Beverage Business Insights, says that while the large G packaging is getting mixed reviews among distributors, PepsiCo should earn points for audacity. "Pepsi is really rolling the dice these days on the branding front," he says.

Gatorade has lost some market share in recent years to rivals in the "hydration" category but still controls about 80% of the category.

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