Hellmann’s Dir of Marketing Chris Symmes said that the goal of the brand's partnership with Titans QB Will Levis is to “get people to use more mayonnaise," as "targeting tailgaters and Super Bowl party hosts is part of the plan,” according to Nick Suss of the Nashville TENNESSEAN. Symmes said, “As a marketer, it’s fantastic to have an athlete/celebrity that is game to do fun stuff.” Suss noted Levis had been on Hellmann's radar as a potential spokesperson since his “culinary quirk" of drinking coffee with mayonnaise "started going viral on social media when he was still in college.” Since then, Levis has said that he “doesn't actually drink coffee with mayonnaise on the regular,” but he “knows gimmicks attract attention and get people talking.” Suss noted Hellmann's sent Levis a "care package in February complete with a Letterman's jacket and bucket hat to rep the brand as well as a panini maker and recipes," and Levis took to TikTok to "thank Hellmann's for the haul." Symmes' courtship “only intensified from there, culminating in the press conference ad in August." As part of his sponsorship deal, Levis gets a "lifetime supply" of Hellmann's. Brands “salivate at the value of charismatic athletes who are game to get silly.” Hellmann's “can't comment on whether there are more projects planned with Levis” or how the partnership has “helped sales or boosted their profile” (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 11/22).
