Mike's Special Stuff

In Generation Like, the importance and influence of branding is highlighted, however, the movie overstates its transformation. Branding has existed for centuries and fundamentally impacts the perception, motives, and identity of the average person. As Mara Einstein suggests, brands are pieces of our identity. Branding reflects a religious devotion and faith in companies.  As in religion, branding lauds the importance of seemingly insignificant and malleable notions. These seemingly arbitrary distinctions of sacred and ordinary, confuse many who are not personally engaged. For example, the act of celebrating Easter may confound and confuse many atheists. Branding behaves in a similar way.

Many athletes, both professional and amateur, rely on the effectiveness of Gatorade, I considered myself one. Before every game I would rush to get my lemon-lime Gatorade, scoff at Powerade and decline basic water. Gatorade was distinctly different and superior to those alternatives. Gatorade was what Michael Jordan had, it was what every athlete had. As its commercial said,  Gatorade was created in a University of Miami laboratory to optimize the ability of athletes. Even when athletes were drinking water, they drank it out of Gatorade cups.  I bought into the branding.  For a two years in middle school and two in high school, me and my teammates flooded our bodies with Gatorade It turns out, Gatorade is actually less refreshing and replenishing than water. Gatorade exemplifies Einstein's idea that “branding is about... taking the individual aspects of a product and turning them into more than the sum of their parts.” Gatorade was and is simply water, sugar and artificial flavor, no different than any ordinary juice. Reflecting on it, my comfort in Gatorade was no different than Mike's Special Stuff in Space Jam; simply mentally replenishing. Sure it was nothing, but belief in it was good enough. Despite its simplicity, Gatorade was double the price and double the authenticity.