With comic book-based films dominating the summer box office, superheroes are a hot commodity right now. A professional athlete is a lot like a superhero. They perform acts of incredible derring-do that seem impossible for regular people. They selflessly sacrifice of themselves for the greater good. They wear brightly colored flashy costumes. It almost seems like a no-brainer for athletic brands and superhero brands to team up.
Enter Gatorade and DC Entertainment’s “Create Your Own Athlete Superhero.”
“Create Your Own Athlete Superhero” is an interactive web site that allows you to build your own superhero/athlete. You can choose everything about your athlete/superhero from their hairstyle to the color of their uniform to the sport in which they participate. You can make a weightlifter and call her Power Girl. You could create a track and field star called Lady Flash. If you want to create a football player called NFL Superpro, you can. Once your hero is created you can share her or him or her via the social network of your choice. The creation engine is relatively simple, but it’s fun and interactive, and we know that interactive content is now king.
In addition to “Create Your Own Athlete Superhero” interactive content, DC has also created additional content for Gatorade featuring “The League of Captains.” The League of Captains is a group of football players whose exploits have been rendered in comic book form.
In addition to the high levels of engagement and entertainment associated with strong interactive content, Gatorade’s superhero campaign is also family friendly. Create Your Own Athlete Superhero is fun for grownups, but it’s also content that parents can share and enjoy with their children. In making the decision to create interactive content for the whole family, Gatorade and DC are checking some very important boxes in current marketing trends.
