In the US, there is a rapidly increasing focus among brands, marketers and advertisers on Branded Entertainment initiatives. This focus is fueled by the desire to increase consumer engagement and increase brand value and affinity. TV networks and broadcasters are eager to partner in Branded Entertainment initiatives, particularly when brands are able to bring unique ideas and executions to the table while offering exclusive access to the celebrities, athletes, teams, etc., that they have relationships with.

The challenge: Sugar consumption is a hot topic in America. But the reality is that if you are burning carbs as an athlete, your body needs sugar. Gatorade is a brand for athletes and athletic performance.

The objective: Gatorade wanted to reinforce themselves as a performance brand by driving understanding among athletes of Gatorade’s functional benefits.

The strategy is a brave one. Gatorade told people NOT to drink their product unless they earned it.

When your body is working hard and burning carbs, it’s obvious…you sweat. That’s the idea. Sweat. You sweat it, you get it. You don’t sweat it, you don’t get it. Simple.

Gatorade tested its new policy on several unsuspecting customers at a convenience store. With the help of Peyton Manning and Cam Newton, an unwavering convenience store clerk informed customers attempting to purchase a Gatorade that they needed a new type of currency: sweat. No sweat, no service. Instead of walking away empty-handed, customers busted out jumping jacks, push-ups and even a little yoga to break a sweat and earn their Gatorade.

The audience literally was the content. We took the people we were trying to reach and put them at the center of the ad. Luring in normal people off the street, Gatorade introduced their new “you don’t sweat it, you don’t get it” policy directly to their audience. The honest reactions and hilarious interactions lured in millions of other people on YouTube, who began to mimic and share the convenience store moments, clearly driving the message that people need to earn their Gatorade.

- The campaign resulted in a +13% lift in purchase intent from athletes and exercisers, Gatorade’s core target audience

- Athletes and committed exercisers who watched the campaign were also more likely to identify Gatorade as a performance-improving sports drink (+17%) and a “go-to” brand (+13%)

- “Sweat It to Get It” was Gatorade’s most watched online series of all time, with 23.3 million views and significant organic viewership, social sharing and press pickup

- The campaign reported incredibly efficient cost-per-view and completion numbers, along with a significant increase in awareness and purchase intent

- 217.7 million impressions for press pickup; $4.3 million value

- 97% positive-neutral sentiment for social mentions

- Users who were exposed to “Sweat It to Get It” reported a 147% increase in searches for Gatorade vs. control

The idea behind “Sweat It to Get It” is simple: You have to sweat for your Gatorade. Showing one or two consumers in traditional TVCs would have gotten the point across, but it wouldn’t have had the impact of Gatorade actually going out and finding real people in order to enforce their new policy. From the beginning, the campaign was designed as a live experience for customers from all walks of life, whose reactions would determine the length and life of the content series.

The focus was on creating an organic experience for unsuspecting customers. We wanted to catch them by surprise and capture honest reactions.

In the end, eight episodes were released—each highlighting how different individuals react when they are asked to pay for their Gatorade with sweat.

Intended to launch entirely as a web campaign, the content had to be entertaining enough to drive views. This gave us a license to take Gatorade’s typical informational messaging to an entirely new level.