Gatorade invented hydration drinks. Now it’s fighting to own them again | CNN Business

It’s not just hardcore athletes who want to stay hydrated, and that’s become a problem for Gatorade. PepsiCo, which owns Gatorade, announced Thursday a sweeping makeover of the brand in response to increased competition. Changes include new drinks, powders and packaging that reinforce the brand’s science-backed roots and market it beyond its longtime identity as a sports drink. The goal is to reinvent Gatorade beyond a sports drink and into a hydration brand enticing for everybody, Mike Del Pozzo, president of PepsiCo’s US beverage category, told CNN. Gatorade invented the first, commercially available hydration drink more than six decades ago. But roughly 150 new brands have entered the hydration space since 2020, and their messaging — including Gatorade’s — has been “diluted and confusing” for consumers, said Del Pozzo. The wave of competitors includes offerings from influencers Alex Cooper and Kylie Jenner as well as soccer star Leo Messi to growing upstarts like Electrolit and Liquid I.V. Plus, chief rival BodyArmor relaunched last year but has struggled with parent company Coca-Cola slashing the brand’s value twice since its 2021 acquisition. They’re all