Who relates to celebrity endorsements and grandiose ad sentiments?

Gatorade is still the world’s leading sports drink. And the brand has been relying on celebrity athlete endorsements for a long time. I wonder who their target audience is today? It can’t be Generation Y. There is a lot of discussion to the effect of Gen Y does not respond well to celebrity endorsements.

And is it me, or are self-important, grandiose ads like these really tiresome? Ads like these almost always make me feel like the product is not for me. It’s a drink. Get over yourself, Gatorade. I prefer Red Bull’s approach — Red Bull gives you wings. Of course it doesn’t; they know that and I know that. But at least they’re not really trying to convince me that it’s true.

Even so, it seems that there is a place for celebrity endorsements. It just goes to show that liking or disliking advertising has little to do with its effectiveness. I respect advertising that works, even if it’s begrudgingly at times. And I always wonder, is there a better way to do it?