Gatorade Mobile App

Whether Gatorade is a better choice than water for athletes depends on the duration and intensity of the exercise, says science. Either way, we’re pretty sure water is not “the enemy” of performance.

But Gatorade, in a mobile app released last year called Bolt! that featured sprinter Usain Bolt, tried to teach teenagers that Gatorade aided athletic performance while water hindered it.

This game is of course an ad for Gatorade, one that may have passed under parents’ watchful eyes directly to their teens’ phones. The ad drives home the false message to its 13- to 24-year-old target audience that Gatorade is always better than water. (Water, by the way, is free, doesn’t contain calories, and is the main ingredient in Gatorade.)

Parents and teens should know that many mobile apps are just extended, interactive ads. And sometimes they contain misleading or false messages.

And everyone should know that the water vs. Gatorade debate is so silly that it’s been mocked in multiple not-great movies.