Degree Issues Reminder to Wear Deodorant Again After Nearly 70% of Americans Admitted to Intentionally Not Using Deodorant the Past Year

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockdown measures and isolation has led to a major decrease in movement across the country – as screen time increased, our motivation to get active suffered, and as a result, so did our deodorant usage. Degree Deodorant, makers of the world's #1 antiperspirant, revealed in a new study that:

• Over half (59%) of Americans were less active during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Almost seven in ten (68%) of respondents admitted to intentionally not using deodorant because they were aware they were not going to see people. Plus, there's also been a slump in overall deodorant sales across the board.
• But as the country begins to open again, so do our opportunities to move. Over half of Americans (57%) are planning to exercise more (run, cycle, go to the gym etc.) – and as a result, a majority plan to use deodorant more frequently (55%).

To celebrate this return to movement, Degree has partnered with performer, actress, and Netflix Dancing Queen drag superstar, Alyssa Edwards, to inspire everyone to find the confidence to move again as part of a multi-channel campaign, Move Again With Degree.

"Whether I'm working on my next set or teaching at my dance studio, movement has always been a part of my routine and the truth is, honey, that we all need to get out there and chase after what we want. Dance has allowed me to express myself in the best ways possible, and now through Move Again With Degree, I encourage everyone to enjoy the benefits of movement the way I have," said Degree brand partner, Alyssa Edwards.

Degree plans to reach consumers by putting 'pits' front and center with a series of disruptive out-of-home ads featuring armpits across New York City. Set to unveil on June 16 and created by BBDO New York, these high-impact and programmatic ads will appear in Times Square and on digital street furniture, taxi tops, billboards, and gyms – infiltrating city-dwellers with an unmissable reminder to start wearing deodorant again.

"Across the category, we saw that deodorant sales were plummeting across the country as people spent more time at home. But now that the world is opening up again, people are returning to doing the things they love – and that includes being active. As a brand committed to inspiring confidence in everyone to move more, we want to inspire people to dust off their deodorant and start moving again," said Dawn Hedgepeth, General Manager/Vice President of Deodorant at Unilever.

The brand is also introducing its first-ever "Pit-Mobile," aimed to reach consumers where they are and stop them in their tracks. On June 18 and 19, this truck will drive to different locations across New York City to get product into consumers' hands and help make Degree their deodorant of choice as they get back out there. To intercept those still racking up minutes of screen time, Degree will extend their campaign digitally, serving as a sponsor of NBA2K's upcoming launch, including in-game branded trivia questions, digital wall takeovers and more in order to inspire even more people to move again. 

Through #MoveAgainWithDegree, the brand looks forward to advancing its commitment to inspire confidence in everyone to move more. To learn more about the campaign, follow Degree on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook using the hashtag #MoveAgainWithDegree.  

¹ Degree-sponsored survey conducted by Edelman Intelligence 

About Degree Deodorant
Degree deodorants and antiperspirants are designed to inspire the confidence in everyone to move more. We make it our business to know more about sweat, and what we learn informs every product innovation to help you keep moving. As a brand designed for and dedicated to promoting movement, Degree has always believed in the power of movement to enhance our wellbeing. Yet, we know that the opportunity to move is not distributed equally, which is why we have made a commitment to ensure everyone has the freedom to move and help youth transform their lives through the power of movement. We are bringing this commitment to life through a variety of ongoing partnerships and programs that strive to help everyone find the confidence to move beyond limits. Visit www.degreedeodorant.com and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to learn more. 

About Unilever North America
Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care, and Foods & Refreshment products, with sales in over 190 countries and products used by 2.5 billion people every day. We have 149,000 employees and generated sales of €50.7 billion in 2020. Over half of our footprint is in developing and emerging markets. We have around 400 brands found in homes all over the world. In the United States and Canada, the portfolio includes iconic brand such as: Dove, Knorr, Hellmann's, Lipton, Magnum, Axe, Ben & Jerry's, Degree, Dollar Shave Club, Q-tips, Seventh Generation, St. Ives, Suave, TRESemmé, and Vaseline.

Our vision is to be the global leader in sustainable business and to demonstrate how our purpose-led, future-fit business model drives superior performance. We have a long tradition of being a progressive, responsible business. It goes back to the days of our founder William Lever, who launched the world's first purposeful brand, Sunlight Soap, more than 100 years ago, and it's at the heart of how we run our company today.

The Unilever Compass, our sustainable business strategy, is set out to help us deliver superior performance and drive sustainable and responsible growth, while:

• improving the health of the planet;
• improving people's health, confidence and wellbeing; and
• contributing to a fairer and more socially inclusive world.

While there is still more to do, we are proud to have been recognized in 2020 as a sector leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and – for the tenth-consecutive year – as the top ranked company in the 2020 GlobeScan/SustainAbility Sustainability Leaders survey.

For more information on Unilever U.S. and its brands visit: www.unileverusa.com 
For more information on Unilever Canada and its brands visit: www.unilever.ca

PRESS CONTACT    
Caitlin Gronski   
Caitlin.Gronski@edelman.com 

SOURCE Degree