Neither the Portland Trail Blazers, the Miami Heat nor any other NBA team have announced where Damian Lillard will play this year, but Gatorade has a spot for him.

The former NBA Rookie of the Year and seven-time All-Star and All-NBA guard asked for a trade this summer after 11 years with the Blazers, with the team opting to draft young talent instead of trading for veteran help. In his new “Don’t Go Missing” campaign for Gatorade—developed by creative agency of record TBWA\Chiat\Day LA— Lillard is unfazed by any of it, simply delivering a public service announcement warning young players not to let dehydration take them out of the game. 

Any scolding is left to a cameo by football veteran and commentator Shannon Sharpe.

The campaign will partner Gatorade with Meta and The Weather Channel to trigger ads when conditions get too hot and stifling, with Gatorade’s new social and digital agency of record Laundry Service making its debut on promotion.

But the campaign also places the core Gatorade brand at the center of PepsiCo’s “Gatorade Portfolio” launched earlier this year. The parent company’s Fast Twitch, Muscle Milk, Evolve and Propel brands now fall under the Gatorade umbrella, as do Gatorade’s personalized Gx products.

Adweek spoke with Anuj Bhasin—who became Gatorade’s chief brand officer in January—about the new campaign, the importance of personalization to the Gatorade portfolio and why Gatorade still wants customers to be like Mike … even if he has a different middle initial. 

Adweek: With Gatorade’s scope having expanded so significantly over the last year, where does this new campaign and the core Gatorade brand fit into the overall marketing plan?
Anuj Bhasin: This product—core Gatorade— is at the core of what we do today. 

We have an expansive range of products that fuel performance, and core Gatorade is at the foundation of the brand. It is the most researched, scientifically backed product, with real science, real claims and real credentials—founded for an athlete need and athlete innovation, We’re trying to make sure all athletes have access to this and they know about it. 

What we’ve learned is that athletes are evolving. They are seeking more than just performance solutions and more than just solutions on the field of play. They’re looking for solutions off the field, they’re looking for solutions that are personalized to them. They’re looking for ways to engage with technology differently. So we’re evolving too.

What we’ve learned is that athletes are evolving … So we’re evolving too. 

—Anuj Bhasin, chief brand officer, Gatorade

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