Broncos Star Von Miller Fronts #Unforsweatable Campaign & Becomes P&G’s Latest Quirky Old Spice Guy

In late August Procter & Gamble unveiled NFL super star Von Miller as the 2016 face of Old Spice and, as the new season kicked off in September, the advertising behemoth began rolling out a new campaign for its ‘Hardest Working Collection’ fronted by the Denver Broncos linebacker and Super Bowl 50 MVP.

While the initial deal was simply teased through a set of images and a PR push, a pair of TV commercials (tagged ‘Unforsweatable’) promoting the Old Spice’s Hardest Working Collection of deodorants and body washes launched during the first round of match-ups.

Developed with creative agency Wieden + Kennedy, the two spots were both initially posted socially on 13 September and ‘The Road’ debuted on air during the NFL Week Two Sunday live game between the Millers Broncos and the Indianapolis Colts.

This spot, for Old Spice Dirt Destroyer, sees Miller carry a jackhammer and a pavement pounder as he ‘takes the less travelled route’ across the Mojave Desert.

The second ad, ‘Be Harder’, is initially only available online and won’t break on TV until mid-season, sees Miller staying calm as he faces a set of absurd in-game challenges (from a limbo contest to an egg-and-spoon race) whilst his arm seems lodged inside a hornets’ nest.

The assets carry the #unforsweatable hashtag and further campaign content is also running across the brand’s digital and social platforms.

Stop not watching the ad starring Von Miller and start doing it right now! #TNF pic.twitter.com/D2QCh33wRp

— Old Spice (@OldSpice) September 16, 2016

Great teammates bring halftime oranges. An Old Spice sponsored teammate brings Guatemalan super oranges. #NFLKickoff pic.twitter.com/PpfP99FeNy

— Old Spice (@OldSpice) September 9, 2016

Both commercials were directed by Steve Rogers – who also helmed Nike’s Winter range #GetOutThere 2015 ‘Snow Day’ spot (see case study).

‘Between winning the Super Bowl, solidifying my status with the Broncos and being named the newest Old Spice guy, 2016 is shaping up to be quite a year,’ said Miller in a statement accompanying the campaign launch.

‘I’ve had my favourite Old Spice scents for a long time, and I only trust the Hardest Working Collection to give me a deep clean after practices and keep me smelling fresh on and off the field. There’s a reason you find Old Spice in every team’s locker room.’

While P&G’s PR push around the launch said that the 27-year-old former Texas A&M linebacker’s on-field success, colourful personality and eclectic pastimes (he raises chickens, has whacky dance moves, dresses individually and is known for a fascination with science and nature) made him a ‘perfect fit’ for the brand.

‘We’re excited to welcome Von, one of the NFL’s top-performing players and unique personalities, to the Old Spice family,’ outlines Old Spice brand director Janine Miletic.

‘Von’s engaging, humorous demeanor and hardworking on-field performance align perfectly with our ridiculously masculine brand and the performance of our Hardest Working Collection combining our most popular scents with our most powerful sweat and odor protection and deep cleansing body washes.’

The Wieden + Kennedy Portland team working for the Old Spice account includes creative directors Matt Sorrell and Ashley Davis Marshall, copywriters Ryan Niland (The Road) and Andy Laugenour (Be Harder), art directors Chen Liang (The Road”) and Derrick Ho (Be Harder), producer Melanie Fedunok and account executives Dave Ellerbee, Georgie Gooley and Madison Savary

Production was handled by Biscuit Filmworks, with VFX and dDesign by The Mill.

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