02.02.12
Procter and Gamble’s Downy Unstopables brand will air its first advertisement on Super Bowl Sunday, airing during the pre-game show on Sunday, Feb. 5. The spot will be shown between 5:30 pm and 6:00 pm on NBC.
Could the fabric softener brand join the ranks of memorable spots of years past? Quite possibily, as the brand going for a bit of nostalgia, putting a new spin on a classic Super Bowl spot.
Downy will reportedly freshen up Coca Cola’s 1980 advertisement featuring the legendary “Mean” Joe Greene of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This time around Greene joins actress and author Amy Sedaris, who has been featured in previous commercials for the product, to bring a more playful feel to the ad. In the spot, Sedaris hands Greene a bottle of Downy Unstopables with a childlike innocence, similar to the boy originally paired with Joe 33 years ago. Her offer is meant to be a fresh solution after a long game, when Downy Unstopables can come in handy, according to P&G.
Downy will also have a special “Touch Downy” giveaway, giving away surprises on the brand’s Twitter account every time either team takes it into the end zone for a touchdown.
“Downy Unstopables was designed to shake up your routine, and give you a fresh, fun way to look at laundry. In that same respect, through our sponsorship with the NFL, we wanted to add a feisty boost of freshness to Super Bowl Sunday as well,” said Carolina Rogoll, Downy brand manager.
“Partnering with Joe Greene to re-make this iconic commercial and creating a giveaway that consumers can participate in on game day has allowed Downy to take a nostalgic look at a classic Super Bowl TV moment in a fresh way and allow today’s audience to create their own memorable moments.”
“When Downy approached me about recreating Coca Cola’s Super Bowl commercial from 1980, it didn’t take much to convince me,” said Greene. “I loved the idea of allowing fans to re-live such a classic television moment in a completely new and entertaining way.”
In addition to making its first ever appearance on Super Bowl Sunday, Downy will be amplifying the sponsorship across a number of other marketing mediums. The ad will be pre-seeded through iMedia, as well as a re-branding of the YouTube channel featuring Greene.