Who Does What
Personal Care Category Sees Consolidation, New Spending
4/16/07: The last few years have witnessed many changes in ownership of leading brands in the personal care category, which consists of soaps and cleansing products, toothpastes and mouthwashes, deodorants/anti-perspirants, and shaving aides.
The category has experienced a whirlwind of merger and acquisition activity, most notably with The Procter & Gamble Co.’s ’05 acquisition of The Gillette Co. The deal follows Henkel KGaA’s acquisition of The Dial Corp. in ’04 and Energizer Holdings, Inc.’s purchase of Pfizer Inc.’s Schick-Wilkinson Sword razor line in ’03.
In some cases, new ownership has prompted new deals. For example, Dial signed with the NBA Phoenix Suns after purchasing the Right Guard brand from P&G last year.
Companies also are using sponsorship to promote new products to the young adult market, especially males who generally are more interested in personal care and grooming products than were previous generations. Case in point: Dial is sponsoring the MTVU Campus Invasion Music Festival to promote its new Right Guard RGX Bodyspray line extension.
Personal care product marketers also use sponsorship to entertain the trade, develop retail promotions that drive store traffic and gain a point of differentiation in an increasingly commoditized category.
Personal Care Marketers: Who Does What
The Dial Corp.
15501 North Dial Blvd.
Scottsdale, AZ 85260-1619
Ruediger Vetter, vice president of marketing
Bjoern Leyser, brand manager, Right Guard
480/754-3425
Targets/Objectives/Key Activations: Most of Dial’s current sponsorship activity is on behalf of products under the Right Guard brand, which the company purchased in ’06 from The Procter & Gamble Co., along with sibling former Gillette brands Soft & Dri and Dry Idea. The company uses sponsorship to gain a point of differentiation, connect with its young male target and sample product. “They are really big on sampling,” said Andrea Schrager, marketing partnership activation specialist with the NBA Phoenix Suns. The company activates its Suns tie with a Right Guard Xtreme Fan contest awarding free tickets to the fan showing the most creativity with body paint and wigs. Right Guard also receives exposure on player bench towels and sweat mops during Suns games that are not nationally televised.
Current Sponsorships:
Dial, Dial for Men: NBA Phoenix Suns.
Right Guard Xtreme: AST Dew Tour (includes title of Cleveland stop); Mat Hoffman’s Crazy Freakin’ Biker Series presented by Target, Oklahoma City; NBA Phoenix Suns; Summer X Games.
RGX Bodyspray: MTVU Campus Invasion Music Festival.
Additional Comments: Retained Cenergy Communications earlier this year to execute Right Guard sponsorships; the agency is planning leveraging activities such as in-store promotions and corporate hospitality. Right Guard Xtreme has endorsement deals with BMX freestyle pro Mat Hoffman and other cyclists. The company signed a new Suns deal for Right Guard in addition to its existing agreement with the team which, beyond Dial, also covers its Purex detergent and Renuzit air freshener brands. Launched RGX earlier this year. Dial is a subsidiary of Dusseldorf, Germany-based Henkel KGaA.
Global Gillette
Prudential Tower Building
Boston, MA 02199
Peter Clay, vice president, male premium systems
Steve Fund, marketing director
617/421-7000
Targets/Objectives/Key Activations: A subsidiary of The Procter & Gamble Co. since October ’05, Gillette sponsors sports to tout its razors and shaving gels to men. Dropped its longtime FIFA World Cup sponsorship after ’06 in part to focus on worldwide Gillette Champions campaign touting endorsement deals with Roger Federer, Thierry Henry and Tiger Woods. Activates NASCAR tie through Gillette Young Guns program featuring endorsement deals with six Nextel Cup drivers. Activates MLB deal with on-pack messaging and in-store displays touting the Home Run Challenge, an MLB program through which fans make pledges to the Prostate Cancer Foundation for home runs hit during select games in June. Fund oversees the Young Guns program and reports to Clay. Jim Lamie, formerly director, global sports marketing, now holds that title with P&G.
Current Sponsorships: Title: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass. Cosponsor: MLB; MLS New England Revolution; NASCAR; National Hockey League; National Prostate Cancer Coalition; NBA Boston Celtics; New England Aquarium, Boston; NFL New England Patriots.
Additional Comments: Although Gillette gains ID on the six cars driven by its Young Guns endorsers, the company does not sponsor the teams. Company is backing an ABC reality show Fast Cars and Superstars–The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race, in which the drivers will coach entertainment stars on the track. New York City-based Leverage Agency is selling sponsorship to the show and will assist Gillette in activating and marketing the program.
The Procter & Gamble Co.
One Procter & Gamble Plaza
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Andrea Zahumensky, Crest brand manager
Carl Stealey, Old Spice brand manager
Kim Yates, Secret brand manager
513/983-1100
Targets/Objectives/Key Activations: P&G uses sponsorship to build specific brands, connect with targeted audiences, sample product and gain promotional platforms it can leverage at retail. For example, Old Spice sponsors college sports and motorsports to highlight product relevancy and sample among active 16-to-24-year-old males. The brand serves as official antiperspirant and deodorant of NASCAR, and is an associate sponsor of Nextel Cup and Busch Series entries driven by Tony Stewart. Old Spice leverages the ties through multiple channels, including retail promotions offering the chance to win Stewart merchandise and content supplied by Stewart to OldSpice.com. Secret uses sponsorship to connect with women by supporting empowerment and other women’s issues. For example, the brand sponsors Dress for Success, a nonprofit that helps economically disadvantaged women. Zest uses sponsorship to play up its adventure-themed brand positioning.
Current Sponsorships:
Crest: Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Old Spice: Title: Old Spice Classic, college basketball tournament, Orlando; Red Zone High School Player of the Year program. Presenting: Anthony Muñoz Foundation’s High School Offensive and Defensive Lineman of the Year awards. Cosponsor: Anthony Muñoz Foundation; Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon; Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR Nextel Cup team; Kevin Harvick Inc. NASCAR Busch Series team; NASCAR; Pontiac American Collegiate Intramural Sports Basketball.
Secret: Dress for Success; Universal Cheerleaders Assn.; Universal Dance Assn.
Zest: Presenting: Everest Awards, outdoor sports award program. Cosponsor: Teva Mountain Games presented by Volkswagen.
Additional Comments: Old Spice titles ESPN’s Old Spice High School Showcase. The brand also has in-game branding in NASCAR ’06: Total Team Control and other EA Sports video games. Leverages Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon through title of Old Spice High Endurance Race to the Finish promotion that awards prizes to the fastest runners over the race’s final mile. Secret recently partnered with music artists Nicole Scherzinger and Rihanna to promote its Scent Expressions line; the brand offers music and video downloads through Secret.com. Chicago-based SMG United is helping Zest activate its sponsorship of the Teva Mountain Games.
Schick-Wilkinson Sword
10 Leighton Rd.
Milford, CT 06460
Adel Mekhail, vice president, marketing, USA
203/882-2100
Targets/Objectives/Key Activations: A unit of Energizer Holdings, Inc. since ’03, Schick-Wilkinson Sword this year kicks off Schick’s three-year presenting sponsorship of the ATP/Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Pilot Pen Tennis tournament. Schick–which has cosponsored the tournament for the past five years–leverages the tie with client and employee hospitality, as well as sampling programs targeted at college students. The company sponsors the Winter X Games to tout its Schick Quattro titanium razor to the event’s young male audience. Schick supported its tie to the most recent event with an endorsement deal with four snowboarders that competed as “Team Titanium,” as well as with retail and online promotions and a dedicated MySpace.com page.
Current Sponsorships:
Schick: Presenting: ATP/Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Pilot Pen Tennis, New Haven, Conn. Cosponsor: TargetTraining women’s pro cycling team.
Schick Quattro: Winter X Games.
Additional Comments: The tennis tie is driven in large part by the company’s community outreach efforts near its headquarters. “Schick is very much aware of how the tournament benefits New Haven and the surrounding region,” said Anne Worcester, tournament director. Schick dropped its two-year-old sponsorship of the LPGA last year; the company sponsored the golf tour on behalf of its Schick Intuition women’s line.
Unilever Home & Personal Care, USA
33 Benedict Place
Greenwich, CT 06830
Rob Master, marketing director, Lever 2000
203/661-2000
Targets/Objectives/Key Activations: Lever 2000 last year entered the world of sports marketing by signing lead sponsor status of the U.S. Tennis Assn.’s US Open Series–the ten tournaments leading up to the U.S. Open. The brand, which took the tie on behalf of Lever 2000 with Vaseline Lotion Ingredients, gains presenting status for all US Open Series broadcasts on CBS and ESPN, official sponsor status with all ten events, and title of the US Open Series Lever 2000 Challenge, a program that tracks the weekly standings of players in the race to qualify for double prize money at the US Open. The tie also affords branding on player chairs and official status at the US Open. The brand reportedly plans to activate the tie this year with an on-pack promotion dangling free tennis lessons.
Current Sponsorships:
Dove: Speaking of Women’s Health.
Lever 2000: Presenting: USTA US Open Series. Cosponsor: ATP Countrywide Classic, Los Angeles; ATP Indianapolis Tennis Championships; ATP Legg Mason Tennis Classic presented by GEICO, Washington, D.C.; ATP Rogers Cup presented by National Bank, Montreal; ATP Western & Southern Financial Group Masters, Cincinnati; ATP/Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Pilot Pen Tennis, New Haven, Conn.; WTA Acura Classic, Carlsbad, Calif.; WTA Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, Calif.; WTA JPMorgan Chase Open presented by Herbalife, Carson, Calif.; WTA Rogers Cup presented by American Express, Toronto; US Open; USTA.
Additional Comments: Unilever’s Degree brand dropped its Ironman North America sponsorship in ’06. Promotes Axe body spray through proprietary programs such as fourth-quarter ’06 partnership with rapper Ludacris that featured product integration in the artist’s tour and branded content in a music video. GMR Marketing handles.