Press Release For Cena's Upcoming Gillette Commercial
The Gillette company issued the following press release today:
Gillette Unveils Newest Members of Its Gillette Young Guns Lineup
New Television Campaign Introducing Newest Gillette Razor Features Six of NASCAR’s Elite Drivers and World Wrestling Entertainment® Star John Cena
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.--(NYSE: PG) – Gillette today announced the addition of two of NASCAR’s most talented drivers – Clint Bowyer and Denny Hamlin – to the 2008 Gillette Young Guns team. Bowyer and Hamlin officially join Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman as Gillette Young Guns. The pair, each whom qualified for last season’s NASCAR’s Chase for the Cup championship, was welcomed into the Gillette family as part of a ceremonial “first shave” fan event held during Speedweeks activities at Daytona International Speedway.
Gillette will jump start the 2008 NASCAR season by unveiling a new Gillette Young Guns television campaign, entitled “Wresting Ring,” during FOX’s telecast of the 50th running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 17. The creative will feature the Gillette Young Guns drivers, along with World Wrestling Entertainment® (WWE) superstar John Cena.
“The addition of Clint Bowyer and Denny Hamlin represent Gillette’s continued commitment to excellence as we kick off another NASCAR season with our Gillette Young Guns team,” said Mike Norton, External Relations, Gillette. “These two superstars have showcased their outstanding talents and are perfect partners to help launch our latest shaving products including the Gillette Fusion Power Phenom razor.”
Since its inception in November 2003, the Gillette Young Guns program has been comprised of many of NASCAR’s most talented drivers. The newest Gillette Young Guns, Bowyer and Hamlin, have quickly become stars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entering just their third full-time season. Bowyer, the Richard Childress Racing driver, earned his first-career Cup win at the opening Chase race in New Hampshire in 2007, while adding five top fives and 17 top 10s en route to third place in the final Chase standings. Hamlin, a two-time Chase participant for Joe Gibbs Racing, has three-career victories in NASCAR’s top series, including last summer at New Hampshire, along with 12 top fives and 18 top 10s in 2007 to finish 12th in the final Chase standings.
John Cena learned how to drive a Sprint Cup race car while participating in last summer’s network television reality series, “Fast Cars & Superstars – The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race.” In the commercial, which introduces the new Gillette Fusion Power Phenom™ razor, Cena has the racing stars on “his turf” – inside a wrestling ring – and he looks to return the favor by teaching the drivers a series of high-intensity wrestling moves – until the Gillette Young Guns turn the tables.
The 30- and 60-second television commercials, filmed in Charlotte, NC, were created by BBDO New York and open with the six Gillette Young Guns drivers lined up side-by-side in a wrestling ring facing Cena, who is preparing to demonstrate various wrestling holds on each of drivers. One-by-one, he calls a driver forward for their lesson and just as Cena is ready to jump into action, the Gillette Young Guns jump on Cena. To his astonishment, Cena is on the receiving end of a variety of wresting moves such as a “Drop-Kick,” “Boston Crab” and even a “Suplex,” and before too long the WWE star finds himself flat on his back outside of the ring dazed and staring straight up at the lights, stating: “Whoa, these guys are phenomenal!”
The spot then reveals that the drivers’ phenomenal moves are possible because they started their day with a shave from the new Gillette Fusion Power Phenom razor. The creative concludes with Newman taking a running start and propelling himself over the top rope to deliver a “splash” onto Cena, with the wrestling personality exclaiming – “Neewwmannn!” – as the Gillette Young Gun driver falls toward Cena. As with all of the previous Gillette Young Guns commercials, Newman once again plays the role of the “ultimate prankster.”
“For the latest Gillette Youngs Guns television spots, we put forth a unique and fun approach by bringing together the 2008 Gillette Young Guns drivers with another phenomenal athlete, WWE superstar John Cena,” said Norton. “Last year Cena experienced the thrill of racing, and we are proud to continue our relationship with him as he takes the Gillette Young Guns into the wresting ring to introduce the latest advancement in shaving technology – the Gillette Fusion Power Phenom razor.”
`“Wrestling Ring” will run exclusively during NASCAR programming throughout the 2008 NASCAR season, including FOX and TNT’s NASCAR race broadcasts. In addition, online and viral efforts are in development, and consumers can also view the commercial and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage by logging on to GilletteYoungGuns.com.
The ads highlight the new Gillette Fusion Power Phenom razor that combines the breakthrough technology of the Gillette Fusion shaving system, with a cool new design featuring metallic blue and silver satin chrome handles. The Fusion Power Phenom wet shaving system combines revolutionary blade technologies on both the front and back of a single shaving cartridge for the most phenomenal shave ever. It features a five-blade Shaving Surface™ technology on the front of the cartridge and a single Precision Trimmer ™ blade on the back. The Precision Trimmer enables men to trim sideburns easily, shave under the nose and shape facial hair with control and accuracy.
Entering its fifth season, Gillette Young Guns drivers have combined to capture four NASCAR Cup championships and three Daytona 500 titles. Gillette will continue to leverage the Gillette Young Guns and its NASCAR official status sponsorship with a comprehensive program that extends throughout the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.
About Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG)
Three billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Pringles®, Folgers®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Actonel®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella, Gillette®, and Braun. The P&G community consists of over 135,000 employees working in over 80 countries worldwide. Please visit pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.
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