First in Thirst: How Gatorade Turned the Science of Sweat into a Cultural Phenomenon

By Joanne Kennedy

Book Overview

Gatorade is an enthralling story, brought to life in bright color and sharp detail in this book as journalist and author Darren Rovell chronicles every astonishing milestone of the company's history.With unprecedented access to the inventors, the marketers, the analysts and observers, and key company figures past and present, Rovell recounts the sweat-drenched University of Florida football practices, the first (unpalatable) prototypes, and the commercial and financial interest that quickly took hold following the drink's first on-field successes. Then came the advertising, sponsorships, product placements (many of them fortuitous), and finally the two milestones that cemented Gatorade's iconic status once and for all -- the ubiquitous Gatorade bath and the Michael Jordan "Be Like Mike" endorsement deal.With refreshing candor, First in Thirst also offers an inside look at all the aspects that went into building the brand, such as: negotiations, battles, lawsuits, mergers and acquisitions, product strategies, lucky breaks, and even the mishaps that have attended Gatorade's reign as the 800-pound gorilla of the sports-drink scene.First in Thirst identifies the nine Gatorade Rules, business principles that have helped Gatorade become one of the most dominant brands ever. By adhering to these principles, businesses in other industries may achieve greater brand recognition and market share. Long before America knew what "deep-down body thirst" was, a team of university scientists had already invented something to quench it. This book is the story of the product and the company, and of America's fascination with the one and only Gatorade. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0814472990
• ISBN13: 9780814472996
• Release Date: August 2005
• Publisher: Amacom Books
• Length: 243 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.0" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

The Business of Drinking - and Product Placement

A highly-informative book written with love by a dogged sports business researcher. It is incredible to me that the University of Florida was so unsupportive of their faculty during the nascent days of the product, yet had its hand out when the money started rolling in. You don't have to be interested in industry to enjoy this book!

Great Read

I read through this book one night recently and it's a great read. The insight into the history and buisness dealings of Gatorade kept me glued to the book; I had to read it in one sitting. Many of my Gatorade questions were answered; I recall watching the Mia Hamm 'Thank You' Gatorade commercial with my wife and wondering why Michael Jordan was in it. First in Thirst explained their 'competititon' commercial and helped explain...

Five Stars for the first Gatorade Sports Business Book

Rovell quenched my need for the first riveting Gatorade sports marketing book ever written. He didn't miss a beat in his passionate chronicle of Gatorade's inventors, memorable moments in sports history and Gatorade's rise to become an iconic brand. Rovell's journalistic integrity and skillful writing was quite evident and made me not want to put the book down. Rovell has given me the gift of a perfect, light hearted,...

A Story Told With Dual Utility

As a marketing professional who has probably read too many books on the topic, I've found these books to be functional only to either educate or entertain, but rarely both. In "First in Thirst," Rovell brings a storytelling ease to a wonderful and insightful look at the rise of one of America's greatest brands. This wonderful "beach book" quality is not diminished by the lessons explicitly outlined as the culmination of the...

great book

Rovell brings his unique talents from espn.com to the hardcover. At first I wondered if I needed to be interested in gatorade or sports business to enjoy this book. I quickly found out I was wrong. The tale of gatorade is a human interest story that can be enjoyed by any reader regardless of his sports or business knowledge. Rovell's storytelling gives life to a bottle of funny colored liquid.