Gatorade marketing boss on why supporting grassroots sports is good for business

The Drum sits pitchside at the sports drink’s five-a-side kids football tournament to catch up with its marketing chief, Bart LaCount, as part of our Sports & Fitness Focus.Brands spend a lot of money and resources investing in grassroots sports as part of their purpose initiatives, but companies are increasingly being scrutinized for sportswashing. Vice-president of PepsiCo’s international beverages marketing, Bart LaCount, speaks candidly to The Drum about the “dual benefit” of supporting grassroots sports, saying: “We’re massive supporters of grassroots because we think it’s good for people, but it’s also for business.”Gatorade 5v5 is an annual global soccer tournament in which 14- to 16-year-olds compete against teams in their country. The winning team from each nation advances to the finals and has the opportunity to attend the Champions League final.“It’s a benefit for society and for our brand and our business. That helps because we can do all this work and see the impact of it, not just on the brand metrics but also on how it can drive the business too.”Gatorade is sold in 80 countries, but there are some places where the brand is more “nascent” than others and where the ambition of grassroots initiatives would be to build awareness. “If we’re trying to strengthen the distinction of the brand, this is one aspect that can help do that,” LaCount adds.“We look at it in terms of our overall mix and the big things we are trying to drive.”LaCount says grassroots has always been a “massive” part of the brand since being created for Florida college American football players. “There’s a lot of focus on purpose over the last few years, which isn’t always integrated into the DNA of brands,” he says.At Gatorade, LaCount says the company “believes sport is a powerful thing that teaches lessons, not only on the field but also off the field.” He adds: “If you think about collaboration and leadership and perseverance and commitment – those are all life lessons.”According to Gatorade research, 41% of kids say a lack of confidence stops prevents them from taking part in sport. “The reasons range from confidence to facilities and costs, as well as there being parts of the world where there are no safe spaces, parts of the world where judgment and prejudice come more into play, particularly with girls.”The 5v5 tournament is part of Gatorade’s bigger ambition to get 2.5 million teens to stay in sports beyond high school by 2030. So far, 150,000 kids have competed in the tournaments. This year, 26,000 across 13 countries will be participating. Adam Warner, who is head of global sports and partnerships at PepsiCo, adds that there is “mutual value” for both Gatorade and the Uefa organization. “Uefa’s strategic opportunity and challenges in the future is that they need to keep feeding the football pyramid right from the grassroots onwards, feeding that pyramid up towards elite players,” he explains.Warner, who is tasked with forging PepsiCo’s sports partnership deals, says the organization favors long-term strategic partnerships over one-and-done deals. “We have a fewer, bigger, better mindset,” he says. When it comes to selecting partners, Warner explains: “It becomes very clear very quickly whether two organizations have a shared mindset; it doesn’t take long to understand if you have the same view of the world.”

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Gatorade marketing boss on why supporting grassroots sports is good for business

By Hannah Bowler, Senior reporter

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