Gatorade: “Be Like Mike”
A catchy song about wanting to be like Michael Jordan, set to footage of Jordan and kids playing basketball.
- Brand
- Gatorade
- Year
- 1991
- Category
- Drinks
"Sometimes I dream that he is me..." The song plays over footage of Michael Jordan dunking, laughing and playing basketball with children on outdoor courts. The message is simple: kids want to be like Mike, and Mike drinks Gatorade.
The ad launched in 1991, right after Jordan signed with Gatorade and at the start of the Chicago Bulls' first championship run. The jingle was adapted from a song in Disney's The Jungle Book, "I Wan'na Be Like You".
"Be Like Mike" became a catchphrase and is often cited as one of the best examples of a brand building its image around a single athlete. Gatorade brought the song back on several later anniversaries.
Watch the full ad on YouTube
Could you recognise it with the logo hidden? This ad is one of 129 famous commercials in Guess the Ad.
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- Coca-Cola — “Northern Lights (Polar Bears)”1993 · Computer-animated polar bears watch the northern lights while sharing bottles of Coke.