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Natalie Edwards Professor Allen Semiotics of Pop Culture Semiotic Analysis # 11 March 2015 “Be Like Mike” Gatorade Commercial (G50) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r5Jf_ZU9eA Signifier: The signifier would be Gatorade, a sports themed beverage known for refueling and replenishing athletes since 1965. Signified: The signified subject would be identified as the celebration of the brand Gatorade’s 50 th^ anniversary. Image: The commercial features video clips from when Michael Jordan played for the Chicago Bulls, and most of the clips were highlights from some of his best performances on the court. The ad shows Jordan drinking Gatorade, hanging out with his teammates, and interacting and playing basketball with children in the park. The commercial also showed ordinary athletes drinking Gatorade while
leisurely playing basketball. The song playing in the background is a jingle with the lyrics “Be Like Mike”. The commercial ended by displaying the hashtag “#BeLikeMike” and the Gatorade 50 logo, signifying Gatorade’s 50 year anniversary of supplying sports drinks to athletes. The commercial featured bright colors and different flavors of Gatorade drinks. Denotation: At the denotative level, this is a digitally remastered Gatorade advertisement from 1992 (23 years ago). The ad features Michael Jordan and video footage of him playing basketball during his prime years in the 1990s. Gatorade is being promoted as the sports drinks specifically designed and suited for athletes. For 50 years, Gatorade has helped fuel athletes, such as superstar Michael Jordan. This “Be Like Mike” Gatorade campaign was promoted heavily during NBA All-‐Star weekend, sponsoring Michael Jordan themed shooting and dunk contests during the event. Connotation: At the connotative level and with this commercial, Gatorade wants ordinary and aspiring athletes to feel that their product can help them play like Mike. The return of the commercial caused older consumers and fans to feel a sense of nostalgia, remembering how the brand portrayed itself in the 90s. Millennials who have recently seen the commercial for the first time got to see and compare how the brand has changed and witness Jordan in his prime. Also, many people do not know this, but the commercial featured Mike’s favorite Gatorade flavor, Citrus Cooler, which was discontinued for years and is going to be brought back for a limited time this year with a retro label. Icon: Both Michael Jordan and the brand Gatorade are iconic. Gatorade was invented in 1965 by four doctors from the University of Florida, making millions of dollars selling and supplying their sports drink to athletes all over the nation. Gatorade became the most popular drink among athletes because with its carbohydrates and electrolytes, the drink would improve an athlete’s performance and endurance by replacing the sweat that they lost. On the other hand, Jordan was
that they would want to be like him even more now that he has six championships to his name. While using Jordan in their ads, Gatorade has become even more popular from using an icon as their spokesperson. This commercial attracted more attention and popularity in the past and in the present. Interpellation: Due to Michael Jordan’s growing fan base in the 1990s, he was Gatorade’s perfect match and endorser. When the commercial was created and released in 1992, everyone loved it because his or her role model was being featured and the jingle was very catchy. Thanks to the commercial’s success with Gatorade, they felt that this commercial should be brought back to celebrate the brand’s 50th^ year. Gatorade made the right decision because the commercial brought nostalgia to older adults and introduced the 90s culture to younger people.
