Procter & Gamble Announce U.S. Olympic Hopefuls Representing Its Various Brands

Proctor & Gamble today released a list of 28 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes who will be representing 13 of the company's brands in the months ahead. The list features athletes from an array of sports, including sprinter Allyson Felix, swimmer Ryan Lochte, gymnast Jordyn Wieber and taekwondo's the Lopez family. They will represent brands ranging from oral care to Metamucil. P&G VP North American Operations & Marketing Jodi Allen said, "We were looking for athletes with proven track records. Importantly, we wanted athletes who could tell the story and be consistent with the equity of the brands they were going to sponsor." P&G has signed 150 athletes worldwide. Allen said that P&G let its 80-plus brands decide whether or not they wanted to use the company's worldwide Olympic sponsorship in their marketing. Those brands then had the option to select athletes they felt fit their brand. Allen said, "In the coming weeks, you will see brand by brand beginning to tell their stories of athletes and their mom. Look at an athlete like Henry Cejudo. He has a wonderful story of his mom and how she enabled him to achieve what he was able to achieve." P&G also announced a fundraising effort that will be part of its Olympic marketing campaign. It hopes to raise $500,000 to support the newly created P&G Team USA Youth Sports Fund, which will contribute money to NGB-affiliated youth sports organizations as part of the company's effort to raise more than $5M for youth sports worldwide.