Unilever next week is unveiling the newest phase of Dove's "Journey to Comfort" campaign, which will include commercials with college basketball personalities focusing "less on sports than on their families," according to Andrew Adam Newman of the N.Y. TIMES. The campaign, running during the NCAA men's basketball tournament, includes commercials with Pro Basketball HOFer and former Michigan State F Magic Johnson, Georgetown coach John Thompson III and former Duke G Bobby Hurley. All of them "discuss being comfortable in their own skin." While Dove marketing was "female-centric over the last decade, the brand remained popular with men." Unilever Marketing Dir of Personal Wash U.S. Rob Candelino said that "the 'overall brand mission' of Dove made a men's line a natural extension." Candelino added, "We’re not simply throwing a Dove logo on their jerseys the way that sports endorsements have gone in the past. Our guys are fans of these athletes, but they want to know their stories as real people, and their stories are real and moving and that’s what we’re celebrating." Newman notes the Dove Men + Care campaign, which "also highlights a new line of antiperspirants and deodorants, includes behind-the-scenes videos that are only online" at dovemencare.com. On the site, visitors can "play an NCAA-themed trivia game, for a chance to win a trip" to L.A. to meet Johnson at a Lakers game. The site also hosts "Journey to Comfort" spots produced last year that featured Saints QB Drew Brees and Yankees manager Joe Girardi (N.Y. TIMES, 3/7).
