Dove Men+Care leveraged NCAA March Madness via a campaign celebrating black men on and off the court through a campaign called Off Court Champs’ which celebrated the multidimensional stories of a team of former student athletes.
The activation emerged after new research (in the form of a 2020 study by Dove Men+Care and Joy Collective called ‘Bias Against Black Men: A Study on Stereotypes, Perceptions and the Impact on Black Men and Boys’) which found that white men who are showed an image of a black man are most likely to describe him as an athlete over any other profession. This finding led to March Madness and Dove Men+Care continuing the ‘Commit to C.A.R.E’ initiative by shining a spotlight on multidimensional stories of former NCAA student-athletes.
Thus, by championing and showcasing these stories the brand aims to challenge limiting stereotypes and narrow portrayals and change the way black men are seen and treated in society.
The campaign saw Dove Men+Care partnered with seven ‘Off Court Champs’: all are former NCAA student-athletes who are now CEOs, lawyers, artists and more and who all prove that success on the court is only part of the story.
The initiative was spearheaded by a hero film launched on 16 March and supported by digital and social content running across brand, endorser/partner and NCAA channels.
Let’s celebrate Black men as champions on and off the court at: https://t.co/SGWWMMjknu
Presented by @DoveMenCare #OffCourtChamps pic.twitter.com/HrC2L5bbw2
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 17, 2021
Stereotypes are just one of the many racial injustices affecting Black men.
That’s why we’re partnering with former student-athletes who challenge limiting stereotypes and show that Black men can be anything. #OffCourtChamps
— Dove Men+Care (@DoveMenCare) March 18, 2021
Success happens on and off the court. That’s why we’re partnering with former NCAA® student-athletes who challenge limiting stereotypes and show that Black men can be anything.
Learn how. ⬇️#OffCourtChamps #MarchMadness #FinalFour
— Dove Men+Care (@DoveMenCare) March 17, 2021
The creative urges viewers to ‘Meet the Off Court Champs’ and to join us in ‘challenging the limiting stereotypes in media and society about black men’ by signing ‘Commit To C.A.R.E Now pledge’ and seeks to drive them online to sign-up and learn more about the Off Court Champs at committocarenow.com/offcourtchamps.
To initiative also sees Dove Men+Care partner with the NCAA to launch ‘Off Court Clinics’; a series of virtual workshops in which the Off Court Champs will draw from their personal experiences to provide today’s NCAA student-athletes with guidance on how to achieve their career aspirations.
The brand’s ‘Off Court Champs’ included:
> Justin Drummond is a former Division I student-athlete who advanced to the NCAA Championships during his education at Loyola University Maryland. While earning numerous awards and honours in basketball, he founded SparkC in 2013. Though only 20 years old at its inception, Drummond grew the company into a thriving, successful brand. In 2016, he founded a suit company with the goal of providing professional attire to those who could not afford it.
> Terrance Hayes is a 2014 MacArthur Fellow at Coker College where he studied painting and English and was an Academic All-American on the men’s basketball team. After receiving a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Pittsburgh in 1997, he travelled the world to teach, eventually setting roots at New York University as a Professor of English.
VMichael C Thorpe is a rising star in the world of quilting as an artist who makes large-scale portraits using quilting techniques inspired by the rich historic artistry of the African American quilters of Gee Bend Alabama. His quilts have garnered major attention, being acquired by museums and by galleries such as The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
> Onaje XO Woodbine is a former star student-athlete, voted as one of the top 10 best student-athletes in The Ivy League during his time at Yale. With his academic passion off the court, Onaje decided to pursue philosophy and religious studies, leading to the attainment of his Ph.D. from Boston University, his teaching career at American University, and the development of his book, “Black Gods of the Asphalt: Religion, Hip-Hop, and Street Basketball.”
> Adonal Foyle is a former NCAA student-athlete from Colgate University and NBA star whose many passions stem far beyond the game, focusing on giving back to the next generation by providing education and advice beyond sports. Adonal founded Democracy Matters – an organization centered on empowering kids from all over the country to have their voices heard – as well as the Kerosene Lamp Foundation and is an author of several published books.
> Desmond Mason is a former Slam Dunk Champion who was a 1st round draft pick out of Oklahoma State University by the Seattle SuperSonics. After retiring in 2010, Desmond pursued his childhood dream of being a full-time artist. He has created work for numerous high-profile celebrities, athletes, art collectors, business professionals, and entertainers globally. Desmond won the U.N. Athlete for Peace award in 2016 in recognition of his artistic talent and philanthropic work.
> Terry Dehere played for Seton Hall University and spent six seasons in the NBA. Following his career, Terry returned to his neighborhood in South Orange, New Jersey to help rebuild and support the community. Terry’s work has centered on renovating local playgrounds, restoring abandoned buildings to provide low-cost housing for seniors and low-income families, and developing sites for similar purposes. In addition to this work, Terry formed the Jersey City Community Housing Corporation, involved in the construction of affordable housing.
“Mainstream media and culture have longstanding histories of perpetuating stereotypes by showcasing extremely limited and inaccurate depictions of Black men,” said Esi Eggleston Bracey, Chief Operating Officer, Unilever N.A. Beauty and Personal Care. “These stereotypes have a tremendously negative impact and affect not only how the world views Black men, but also how Black men view themselves. We are using our platform during March Madness® to showcase and celebrate these Off Court Champs – their stories, their humanity, and their impact off the court – to change the way the world sees and treats Black men.”
“Basketball taught me to dream past my circumstances at a young age, and the arts materialized those dreams for me,” said Michael C Thorpe. “Basketball, and sports in general, provide so much opportunity for young men. However, as Black men, we are so often limited in the way the world sees us. If a young man wants to be an athlete, that is incredible, but he can also be a great doctor, lawyer, teacher, artist, and so much more. I hope that when young men hear my story, they understand that life and opportunity aren’t limited to on the court.”
Comment:
The campaign builds on the existing ‘Commit To C.A.R.E’ Dove Men+Care initiative launched back in September 2020 and which aims to address the misrepresentation of black men and the harm it causes.
The programme’s mission is to ‘create a world where black men are cared for, respected, protected, and celebrated by challenging the harmful stereotypes in media and culture that are a barrier to racial equity’.
According to Unilever, the strategy behind its partnership is that the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament provides an effective platform for the parent company and for the Dove Men+Care brand to grab the attention of male consumers in breakthrough and relevant way.
Unilever is one of 13 tournament corporate partners (alongside Buffalo Wild Wings, Buick, Geico, Google Cloud, Infinit, Intel, Lowe’s Marriott, Nabisco, Pizza Hut, Reese’s and Wendy’s), while the three primary corporate champions are A&T, Capital One and Coca-Cola.
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