• by Larissa Faw , April 2, 2018

Hoping to stand out better in the competitive bottled water market, Propel Electrolyte Water is repositioning itself by incorporating parent brand Gatorade into its advertising once again.

When the brand launched in 2001, its message was “Propel Fitness Water, from the makers of Gatorade,” before changing course to focus more on fitness as the "workout water."

Over the years, the brand has alternatively played up the Gatorade connection before pivoting to focus on other attributes, like its zero calorie count. But, "it’s no secret that along the way, the brand lost its edge and sales declined," says an agency spokesperson.

Now, “How Gatorade Does Water” was created to showcase Propel’s credentials by leaning into its Gatorade history and visualizing its hydration benefits through a product-centric campaign.

Developed with agencies Mother, Resolution, and OMD, the creative uses special effects to transform water drops into active fitness individuals before the voiceover ends with the campaign's new Gatorade tagline.

The media buy focuses on digital advertising running on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pandora, Spotify, and My Fitness Pal (this latter buy was decided before Under Armour disclosed a massive data breach last week).

There will also be spots appearing across TV and out-of-home platforms.

In addition, Propel and PopSugar are introducing :30-minute custom classes on the media platform's Class FitSugar that feature Propel Powered trainers. PopSugar's Fitness vertical has found success integrating brands within its videos, having previously worked with Adidas and C9 by Target. Propel's video series will be available on-demand through PopSugar’s social channels, PopSugar’s app, AppleTV and Amazon Echo.

Also, Propel will kick off its summer-long Propel Co:Labs Fitness Festivals that bring together musical performances and mash-up workouts led by top instructors and studios.

This year Propel Co:Labs Fitness Festivals will visit Los Angeles in May followed by stops in Miami, New York and Chicago. These events will include live musical performances by Ludacris, Wyclef Jean, Yuna, Daya and Icona Pop, workouts led by famous fitness personalities including Julianne Hough with Simone De La Rue, Gunnar Peterson, and Harley Pasternak as well as food tastings and activations to bring "the culture of fitness to life."