The Power[ade] of Brand

All this talk of branding...does it really work? Of course it does.

Case in point: New research recently published in the journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise showed something pretty cool.

People who were shown a bottle of Gatorade were able to raise one leg for 149% longer than those shown a bottle of water. Study coauthor Ron Friedman, Ph.D. says the boost probably occurs because of the inherent association between Gatorade and exercise, which cues our brains that it's time to work hard.

He goes on to say that advertising has reinforced this link, and it would probably work for other beverages that are strongly associated with endurance and hard work. [Coffee, anyone?]

So if you periodically question the principles behind the Groove brand ball and Customer Purchase Funnel, check out the data. If just looking at a well-branded product can change people's response, imagine what delivering an intelligently constructed, relevant brand experience for your audiences can accomplish.