By Andy Marston, Sports Pundit
Gatorade flipped the script on traditional sponsorship activations with its ‘Cool Seats’ activation, turning a decades-long sideline asset into an unforgettable fan experience.
For the first time ever, fans were given the chance to watch games from the sidelines, seated on Gatorade coolers typically reserved for players and coaches.
To find the “best fans with the worst seats,” Gatorade used AI to score social media photos based on visibility and proximity to key plays, identifying the most obstructed views in the stadium.
Winners were upgraded to field-level — a creative use of data, tech, and existing rights.
The campaign reached 62M+ impressions, saw a 45% engagement rate, and drew 15,000+ fan submissions.
Why it matters:
This is smart rights activation, repackaging a long-held asset (the sideline cooler) into a high-emotion, high-shareability moment.
Rather than inventing something new, Gatorade simply opened up what was always there. It’s a great example of how brands can turn passive, unique assets into dynamic platforms that scale with emotion and storytelling.
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