Top Sports Marketers Of The Year: Dove Men+Care — Smooth Bunch Of Guys
Tuesday, December 17, 2013 at 01:27PM By the Staff of NYSportsJournalism.com
December 17, 2013: Consumer research firm Packaged Facts, Rockville, Md., estimates that the worldwide male-specific grooming market will hit $28 billion by next year, up from about $19 billion in 2009.
Dove Men+Care took huge strides to expand its presence in the category in 2013 by featuring a series of ads with men who came with their own stats: a March Madness effort with Dwayne Wade of the NBA's Miami Heat and college analyst Jay Bilas; a baseball campaign focusing on dads with MLB players including Torri Hunter, Ben Zobrist, Chris Sale and Matt Wieters; and an effort to support the brand's new alliance with the now TCS New York Marathon starring tennis icon John McEnroe.
Wade and Bilas, who both have March Madness experience as players, incorporated their families, with Wade's TV and online spots featuring his sons and Bilas shown with his son and daughter.
Dove Men+Care. a division of official NCCA partner Unilever, also had a dedicated Facebook page hosting a consumer-driven competition, in conjunction with NCAA marketing partner LG Electronics, in which visitors were asked to pick the tools necessary to help determine which schools would make the tournament and then which schools would survive. Being offered as the top prize: tickets to the 2014 NCAA men's Final Four in Dallas.
The MLB campaign, timed for the end of the 2013 season, the post-season and World Series, showed the guys talk about being dads and explaining why "raising their own teams at home means more than batting and earned run averages." The effort came with an Instagram-based promotion in which people were asked to submit father-and-son photos for the chance to win tickets to a game on Opening Day 2014.
The McEnroe multi-layered push had the famously irritated star showing guys "How to Fight Irritation," which offered tips on how best to compete in the Marathon. In addition to TV spots, print, Internet and social media, Dove Men+Care had the seven-time Grand Slam winner coach six men who ran in the event.
On race day, the brand sponsored three large video screens that ran continual scrolls of in-race tweets and photos. Dove Men+Care plans to build on its alliance for the 2014 Marathon.
Sports is not Dove Men+Care's only focus on male consumers. A Mission: Care program unites service men stationed overseas with their families. This past Father's Day, the effort worked with Operation Homefront, a non-profit group that provides financial and other assistance to service members and their families, to bring 300 families together.
"These men are recognized for their skills as pitchers, outfielders, and hitters, but what fans may not realize is that these all-stars consider being a dad their most important 'position,'" Rob Candelino, GM/vp-marketing for Dove parent company Unilever, said in a statement. "Dove Men+Care celebrates men who care for what matters, and we know dads watching baseball this season will appreciate seeing their favorite players prioritize fatherhood."
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