DURACELL ANNOUNCED a major sponsorship deal with the National Football League (NFL) this week which will see the P&G-owned battery maker known as the “Trusted Battery Power of the NFL.”
The multi-year deal is an extension of P&G’s existing partnership with the American football league, signed in 2009, which saw four of its brands – Gillette, Head and Shoulders, Old Spice and Vicks – introduced as NFL products.
In April of this year, P&G added Tide as the official laundry detergent of the NFL in a multi-year deal, with the brand also signing as a partner to all 32 NFL teams – the first P&G brand to do so.
P&G is likely to have paid the NFL a significant fee to include Duracell (and Tide) in its portfolio of products involved with America’s most popular sport.
To enforce its association to the NFL, Duracell has also signed San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis as a brand ambassador. Willis, renowned for his strength on the field, will be involved in an integrated marketing campaign including promotion of the brand from his personal Twitter account.
A quick scan of Willis’s timeline sees a number of references to his latest endorser, including the following tweet to over 166,000 followers on Monday morning: ‘Good morning world! I don't know about you but I slept like an infant baby Jesus. I'm all powered up like @Duracell. Have a great day!’
Responsible for sponsorship negotiations for P&G is David Palmer, Head of Global Sports Marketing.
By Luke Harman
Follow Luke on Twitter: @lukeharmanSBG