I've been running this site for more than a year, and I've never received more hits from people typing into Google this phrase: "Sidney Crosby Gatorade commercial." It really speaks to the power that this kid has in the marketplace and seems like Gatorade Canada couldn't have signed a better endorser. Well, thanks to reader Jim Anderson, we've finally found the commercial on YouTube.com.
A reader named Alina Landry tells us that the commercial was filmed in Toronto and the outdoor scenes took two days to shoot. She reports that Sidney wasn't there with the 200 extras because he was recovering from an ankle injury, so they used a stunt double. The only scenes she said he did were in the arena and the shot of him throwing the stick. As you can see from the commercial, the Hanson Bros. were included. Landry, who says she was there, said she was told they brought in approximately 3,000 hockey sticks and they let the kids take them home.
Do you know the Canadian ad agency for Gatorade?
Posted by: David Wen | April 24, 2006 at 11:49 PM
It's WAY better than the earlier Sport Chek-RBK commercials. But if this kid is going to be the LeBron of hockey, they've got a long way to go.
Posted by: Sean Smith | April 25, 2006 at 01:37 PM
Good spot with Sidney Crosby and definitely great for Canada, BUT it has no ability to play in the US. A lot of sports fans have heard of Crosby, but few could recognize his face. Are all hockey players going to be forced to market products only in Canada or on the local level?
Posted by: Joe | April 26, 2006 at 11:09 AM
I agree with Joe that this ad just wouldn't work in the US because of Crosby's lack of face-recognition (and hockey's relative unpopularity) with the US public. The only way Crosby becomes an effective pitchman in the US media marketplace would be if he wins championships, as Gretzky did. In fact, I actually believe Ovechkin would be a better choice for advertisers in the US market, because of his flashy (if somewhat selfish) game. Ovechkin has the "wow" factor that plays well in the US.
Posted by: Rico | April 26, 2006 at 02:50 PM
The Russian player (number 11) who throws his stick onto the pile, is that Malkin?
Posted by: Doug | April 26, 2006 at 03:14 PM
Totally agree here. Less than 1 percent of a network audience would have any clue who Crosby is.
Posted by: Darren | April 26, 2006 at 04:55 PM
True dat!!!
But even Gretz didn't get this much hype and attention in his first year!!! I wonder what we'll be sayijng next year?
Posted by: bert | April 26, 2006 at 06:25 PM
Less than 1% of an American audience knows what Crosby looks like...but probably less than 1% of the Canadian audience knows what LeBron James looks like.
Crosby isn't just famous in his first NHL year, he's been a known figure in Canada since he was 12 years old or younger.
Both the RBK and Gatorade commercials are based on that recognition, since that's the point. But it's clearly not how they would market him if it was intended for an American audience.
The current adds focus on him being a homegrown Canadian kid who is humble and gracious because that's what we respond to.
But if it's going to expand to an American campaign, its about personal dominance.
You can argue that hockey has a small market for national advertising... but I would have said that about Golf before Tiger, and Tennis before Venus, Kournikova and Sharipova.
Gretzky is known because he is quite possibly the most dominant player of any sport ever recorded. There is no person I'm aware of whose records and achievements are so far beyond the next closest player.
Crosby offers the possibility of that dominance, breaking the marks of the established #2 great, Lemieux. He just had the 2nd best Draft-Rookie season ever in hockey, and he's on the worst team in the league.
LeBron and guys like that, impressive, but you don't really see that true comparison to Michael Jordan.
I'm sure anyone who does follow hockey knows his face already, and it will be more present next season. Networks had to choose their broadcast schedule before the Draft Lottery was held, and so they couldn't plan to have him on the air as often as they would have liked.
Nobody is trying to make Crosby a LeBron, or Peyton Manning or whoever... they're aiming much higher and that's the image you're seeing.
Posted by: Dave | April 27, 2006 at 02:13 AM
Okay, any Canadian who watches Sports Centre knows who "King" James is and what he looks like.
Posted by: Travis Ulrich | April 27, 2006 at 10:00 AM
I know him from his 7up commercials more than from sports stuff, but I just kind of tune out the basketball and Baseball parts of SportsCentre.
Anyone who follows the sports are gonna know all these people, but I think it's more an issue of penetration into people who Don't watch that sort of thing.
Those people usually still recognize Tiger, Gretzky, Jordan, Shaq... but there's tons of commercials out there relying on face recognition totally missing the mark in various markets and demographics.
Looking at the American Gatorade site, I know maybe half the people they have endorsing the product. A lot of people arn't going to recognize Nascar stars or Baseball players... basketball players atleast look like basketball players, so that's easy =)
I think people eventually get more recognized from the commercial spots than from the sport.
Posted by: Dave | April 27, 2006 at 12:56 PM
lots of people recognize Sidney in the states .. not everyone .. but the great thing about the commercial is .. every time you watch it .. you notice someone else in it ..
the HANSON's are in it! they have a CULT following. no .. not huge .. but solid
anyone who watches hockey .. KNOWS sidney .. no matter what team they are fans of.
Posted by: Jack | April 28, 2006 at 09:40 PM
Does anyone know who the russian in it is? I assumed Malkin at first, but It doesn't look like him.
Posted by: SidTheKid | April 30, 2006 at 10:11 PM
For this commercial, "Sticks," Downtown Partners created the campaign and OMD Canada handled the media buying. You can find a fairly high resolution copy of it on Down Partners web site.
As for the guy in the Russian "Kzertok" shirt, some people think it's Mario Lemieux.
Posted by: Neil | May 05, 2006 at 07:42 PM
I don't think it matters if "Americans" recognize Syd the Kid. The primary target market for this commercial is most likely sports minded individuals who probably play hockey in one form or another (competitive, pick-up) I would venture a guess that at least 85% of these people (Worldwide) would recognize Syd and the Hansons, it think this commercial is genius!
It isn't the job of Gatorade to Build support for the NHL and hockey in general, Gatorade is simply trying to gain support from the hockey minded individuals with a smart commercial. If it builds support for the NHL than Great!
Posted by: Scott | May 08, 2006 at 03:15 PM
The diminutive devil. That is Mario. The penguin connection is obvious enough.
Posted by: Chad | May 10, 2006 at 10:03 AM
Cool commercial loved the Hanson brothers. More companies should turn to stuff like this and stay away from promoting their product with sex. Just my opinion!
- Todd Charske
Posted by: Todd Charske | May 10, 2006 at 08:06 PM
I have to tell you I don't really follow Hockey and I knew the Hanson brothers and Syd probably the Hanson brothers were more recognizable.
- Todd Charske
Posted by: Todd Charske | May 10, 2006 at 08:08 PM
Does anyone knows the song title and the band in this commercial ?
Posted by: LP | May 11, 2006 at 10:48 PM
For the russian, i first thought it was Lemieux but finally, this guy doesn't look like the 66 at all....but it would make sense though.
Posted by: TheBlob | May 29, 2006 at 05:07 PM
What's the name of the song in this ad?
Posted by: Levin Castillo | June 03, 2006 at 02:18 AM
Why would Lemieux make sense as the Russian? He's French-Canadian you moron!
Posted by: brassgirl | June 03, 2006 at 07:26 PM
that russian guy looks nothing like mario lemieux
Posted by: Smooth As Butter | June 06, 2006 at 01:43 AM
i constantley see forums discussing crosbys commercial, but what i and many others want to know, is what is the name and band of the music played during the commercial?!?!
Posted by: Again | June 29, 2006 at 10:26 PM
The song from the commercial is called Clubbed to Death, by Rob D.
Posted by: Chris | July 10, 2006 at 04:32 PM
Regarding the Russian, and who he is/isn't -- DEFINITELY not Ovechkin, Malkin, or (you gotta be kidding) Lemieux. Haven't found out who he is yet, but here is an interesting post I saw elsewhere...
"The most rational explination I've heard so far has to do with the name on the jersey "K3eptok". Leet for "keep talking". Being a Russian looking jersey, it seems fair to think it was aimed at Kovalchuk, following the rivalry this year."
Posted by: daBiker68 | July 17, 2006 at 05:03 PM