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If there's any war the beverage giants Pepsi and Coca-Cola can't win, it's probably knocking Gatorade off the sports drink shelf. But that hasn't stopped them from trying.
Since the two cola archrivals launched their own variations of thirst-quenching isotonic drinks in the early'90s, Coca-Cola's Powerade and Pepsi's All Sport have managed to climb to the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively. Quaker Oats' Gatorade brand still commands 80% market share of the estimated $1.5 billion sports drink category, however, and continues to add new flavors to keep up interest.
"Gatorade has been around a long time. They've had line extensions that have helped to keep the brand exciting to consumers," said Gary Hemphill, vice president of the Beverage Marketing Corp.
Gatorade's traditional lemon-lime flavor remains the most popular overall, while younger consumers have been drawn to bolder, fruitier flavors such as watermelon, fruit punch and cool blue raspberry. In 1997, Gatorade added cool, lighter flavors called Frost to its line, followed by last year's introduction of bold, fruity flavors in...