GCSE Media Studies Revision for Cross Media Advertising Paper: Lucozade background and context

Background and Context

Lucozade is an umbrella name for a series of Energy and Sports drinks.
The original Lucozade, now called Lucozade Energy, is an energy drink containing glucose syrup and is produced by GlaxoSmithKline plc in Gloucestershire.
It was first manufactured in 1927 by a Newcastle chemist, who experimented for several years to provide a source of energy for those who were sick with common illnesses, like the common cold or influenza.
It became available throughout the UK for use in hospitals under the name Glucozade. This was changed to the recognizable Lucozade in 1929.
The product was sold in a glass bottle with a Cellophane wrap until 1983, when the advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather set about rebranding Lucozade as an energy drink.
The slogan "Lucozade aids recovery" was replaced by "Lucozade replaces lost energy", and the ad campaign featured the world and olympic champion decathlete Daley Thompson with a soundtrack of the Iron Maiden song Phantom of the Opera.
The original packaging was changed to polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottling.
The effect of the rebranding was dramatic: between 1984 and 1989, the value of UK sales of the drink tripled to almost $115 million.

Changes in the campaign
Ogilvy and Mather changes the ways in which the brand’s messages and values were seen:

Originally, Lucozade was associated with families, health recovering from illness
It is now recognized as an energy drink endorsed by Lara Croft – a fictional celebrity!
The Lucozade Sports brand features associations with sporting names, but uses aspiration to drive the campaign, rather than targeting niche markets

Advertising to focus on, to show how the idea of ‘family’ and ‘recovery’ was transformed into ideas of ‘energy’ and ‘succeeding’:

GCSE Media Studies Revision for Cross Media Advertising Paper