Nascar driver Denny Hamlin will return as a member of Gillette's revised Young Guns ad campaign.January 3, 2011: Gillette, which ended its relationship with Tiger Woods, Thierry Henry and other athletes at the end of 2010, is marching into 2011 with a revamped marketing program that will be anchored by the launch of its expanded Gillette Young Guns.
Young Guns, which previously had focused on Nascar drivers, now will feature players from a variety of sports. The new roster includes Matt Ryan and Ray Rice from the NFL, Evan Longoria and Carlos Gonzalez from MLB and Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch from auto racing.
The Gillette Young Guns will appear in TV, print, Internet, POP and other consumer promotion activation, focusing around the theme, "Be Ready." The new advertising and dedicated Web site are scheduled to debut in North America in early January. The new issue of ESPN The Magazine will enable people to view exclusive video content on each of the athletes via Quick-Response [QR] Codes on their mobile devices.
According to Gillette, a division of Procter & Gamble, Young Guns is a "sports marketing platform connecting Gillette's full line of grooming products with avid sports fans in North America." The program highlights "up-and-coming stars and gives fans an in-depth look into the keys to their success" both on and off the field.
"The Gillette Young Guns program has been a tremendous success over the past six years in Nascar, and today we're building on that success by expanding the program into other popular sports like football and baseball," John Holding, marketing director, P&G Male Grooming, North America, said in a statement. "Sports fans are keenly interested in emerging superstar athletes. They feel a special connection with them and want to learn as much as possible about each of these up and comers."
"Sports fans are keenly interested in emerging superstar athletes. They feel a special connection with them and want to learn . . . about each of these up and comers."
Gillette said that the 2011 class of Young Guns was selected "not only for their individual sporting accomplishments and future potential, but also for their strong leadership qualities." Holding said that the new roster of Gillette Young Guns "was selected from hundreds of deserving athletes to represent Gillette and we're thrilled to welcome them to the Gillette family."
According to Matt Ryan, starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, "I'm honored to be partnering with Gillette and joining such a talented lineup of athletes. I look forward to scoring big for Gillette and its passionate fans nationwide."
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