Marketing and all things related

I don't know. Small variety/convenience stores already have enough trouble displaying two products in this category. And soft drink companies are so fussy about which refrigerator stuff has to be displayed in. My mother has one of the last of its kind convenience/ snack bar (diner) stores and she has to deal with stuff like this constantly. There's nowhere a new branded fridge could go, so that means selling accelerade uncooled.

I'm sure she's not the only small store that will have to deal with this, and they are the offline analog of the long-tail. Accelerade would have to offer some serious incentives to get convenience owners to change - especially if they're not carrying Mott's already.

Sometimes a tagline isn't enough.

Raj, I think you make an excellent point, and I hadn't thought about it from the store owner's perspective. I definitely don't think Accelerade is different enough from its competitors to convince store owners to give it shelf space, so they'll need to come up with some creative ways to steal space.

I think small stores should start thinking about having them and advertise that they carry them to the local running/biking/hiking stores. I am an avid runner, and switching from drinking gatorade to accelerade, and I am always looking for places that sell them, so do most of my friends who run....Just a thought....

It's great to hear an athlete's opinion on Accelerade. Sounds like with appropriate marketing and advertising, Gatorade and Powerade might just have some competition on their hands. It will be interesting to see what happens in this category.

I work in a gym/wellness center and we constantly look for new products to push. Since our mark up is fairly low to compete with GNC, we keep new stuff in the fridge all the time. If it's new and different, it's a hot product. People in a gym see protien in a sports drink and their eyes light up. I haven't had the opportunity to try it so I don't know how good the taste is. Convenient store selling might be a problem, but I think selling in a gym would be great.

I personally was lured into the Accelerade market by their products marketing schemes. I thought I would be getting a great tasting, effective product. However; when I tried a bottle I was astounded. Not only did it not quench my thirst, but the taste was very sub par. I could'nt even finish the bottle because of the taste. I have only tried the Fruit Punch flavor, so I do not know about any other flavors. Basically, stick to Gatorade and Powerade. Tried and true.

John, thank you for giving us a heads up on the taste of Accelerade. I haven't tried it yet. If I do, I think I'll choose a flavor other than fruit punch. Funny, I usually drink fruit punch flavored Gatorade.

I tried Accelerade, and it's not bad. However, it cost more than three times as much as Gatorade and Powerade. If this remains the case, it may do well with niche groups, but it will not compete with the average consumer.

This product truly is a breakthrough. I have been in the sports nutrition field for 8 years, the 4:1 ratio they offer is not joke. I work out 4 times a week and push some pretty heavy weights for my size, and I notice a huge difference in recovery the next day. Any muscle soreness is at an absolute minimum. This is not Gatorade, this is not Powerade, this is a true drink for athletes of all kinds.

I'm a competitive trail runner here in Northern CA...tried Accelerade today for the first time, as my gym (24HR Fitness) were giving away free bottles as a promotion of some sort.

In a nutshell...the taste, and more specifically the aftertaste, I found unfortunately pretty much undrinkable, it's like biting into the rind of a citrus fruit, very bitter. I can say without question I'll never try/use it again. The consensus at the gym was very clear...tastes like sh!t, evidenced by loads of unfinished bottles in the garbage cans and left in the parking lot.

Sounds like a useful product if you can get past the taste and price. It will be interesting to watch how Accelerade does on the market.

while i am unfamiliar with their bottled product, i did use the powdered form of accelerade and its counterpart endurox r4. i can say that this product is not for those looking for a casual "good" tasting sports drink but those looking for a serious sports drink. as mentioned by susan, this drink is not for the average consumer wanting a good tasting drink while working out. it is for those looking to gain a competitive edge.

i am surprised to see accelerade move in this direction. simply because of taste i don't know if they will be able to compete with gatorade/powerade. but if performance is the deciding factor, accelerade is the way to go.

That's a great explanation. I have a much better understanding of the original positioning of Accelerade, and I'm also confused by their push into the Gatorade/Powerade market. It doesn't seem like Accelerade can compete on taste alone with Gatorade and Powerade, and I'm guessing that most of the Powerade and Gatorade drinkers aren't professional or extremely serious athletes. Accelerade doesn't seem like a good match in this market.

"This product truly is a breakthrough."

There's nothing magical about it...it's just 10g of whey (milk) protein per bottle. An equivalent amount (20oz) of non-fat milk after your workout will give you twice (20g) that.

Bottomline, it tastes terrible. I predict here it will be a miserable failure in the marketplace.

I spoke with the fitness manager this evening at the gym (see previous message), he said he had yet to receive ANY positive feedback. I should note, they gave out only the 'fruit punch' flavor (red).

I am a runner and I use the Accelerade mix. The taste of the mix also was at first a turn off. The drink was so highly recommended to me by others in my running group that I stuck with it and found that it is an aquired taste, as some consider scotch whiskey to be. I do find that Accelerade is much better than Gatorade or Powerade for post run muscle recovery. I have also begun to add l-glutemine to the mix for an even greater assist for recovery. As far as rapid hydration, all three are good. I do think that the price alone will kill the Accelerade RTD's chances of stealing any appreciable marketshare.

ACCELERADE DID A PROMOTION AT MY GYM ON TWO CONSECUTIVE DAYS THIS WEEK. I DRANK TWO BOTTLES, BOTH FRUIT PUNCH. THEY ONLY HANDED OUT THE FRUIT PUNCH FLAVOR. I WASN'T TOO IMPRESSED WITH THE FLAVOR. IT WASN'T SWEET ENOUGH AND DIDN'T QUENCH MY THIRST AS WELL AS GATORADE. IT WAS A LITTLE TOO SALTY, AND KIND OF BLAND AS FAR AS THE TASTE. ALSO, THE PROTEIN FEELS LIKE IT JUSTS SITS IN YOUR MOUTH AFTER YOU SWALLOW IT. I DIDN'T GET MUCH POSITIVE FEEDBACK FROM IT. THE BEST COMMENTS WERE THAT IT WASN'T THAT BAD, BUT NOT ONE PERSON SAID IT WAS GOOD.
MY EMPLOYEE TOOK ONE SIP AND THREW IT OUT. A LOT OF PEOPLE COMPLAINED THAT IT DIDN'T QUENCH THEIR THIRST, AND SOME SAID THAT THEY HAD TO WASH THE ACCELERADE DOWN WITH WATER. EVERYONE COMPLAINED ABOUT THE AFTER TASTE. A LOT OF PEOPLE COMPLAINED THAT IT WAS TOO SALTY.

I'm curious now. I'm going to have to taste this stuff.

You have to realize what Accelerade is for. It is for a marathon runner, or cyclist exercising for three plus hours, an endurance athlete.

After sweating over a long period, your body can experience hyponatremia, which is the sodium percentage in your blood being too low. Accelerade has higher sodium content to replace the sodium lost while exercising.

The protein helps muscle recovery.

Accelerade is a great drink for endurance athletes, but a poor choice for someone just looking to drink something other than soda. The higher sodium will be unpleasant, and the protein is a waste of money.

This is not a product conceived for the mass market, and it will not succeed in that regard. As a niche product for endurance athletes it has a bright future.