Dove® Men+Care® Portrays The Personal Playbooks of Sports Legends John Elway and Doug Flutie

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., Aug. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sports fans know John Elway as a college and professional football Hall-of-Famer and Doug Flutie for his celebrated "Hail Mary" pass, but few know that Elway likes to hit the dance floor with his children at family gatherings, or that Flutie incentivized his daughter's soccer team to win a game by allowing them to paint his fingernails.  This 2012 NCAA Football season, Elway and Flutie join the next Dove^® Men+Care^® "Journey to Comfort" campaign to share personal experiences—on and off the field—that have helped them become comfortable in their own skin.  Thanks to the Dove^® Men+Care^® line of grooming products, all guys can literally be comfortable in their own skin with Antiperspirants/Deodorants and Personal Washes specifically designed for men. 

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please visit: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/57826-dove-men-care-journey-to-comfort-ncaa-football-john-elway-doug-flutie

Elway and Flutie's "Journey to Comfort" video series showcases how they understand the importance of caring for themselves and others.  Beginning September 1, their stories will air on college football programming throughout the season as part of Unilever's multi-year NCAA Corporate Partnership, as well as DoveMenCare.com, Facebook.com\DoveMenCareUS, and www.youtube.com\dovemencareus.  A Dove^® Men+Care^® collaboration with Microsoft Xbox LIVE will also allow fans to view Elway and Flutie's videos from the comfort of their "home field" on their personal gaming consoles.

"The Journey to Comfort campaign celebrates men in a positive way by depicting some of their most important life experiences, from professional achievements to raising a family," said Rob Candelino, Vice President, Unilever Skincare.  "Dove^® Men+Care^® is committed to representing men authentically, and sharing off-the-field milestones from sports icons like Elway and Flutie helps redefine what it means for a man to be a champion."

The "Journey to Comfort" videos provide a glimpse into each man's personal and professional life.  Never-before-heard anecdotes about brotherly rivalries, funny family moments, as well as how fatherhood enhanced their lives are just some of the experiences revealed by these well-known quarterbacks.

"Most dads know how it feels to wave to your children when leaving or coming home from work," said Elway.  "Throughout my career I cherished home games because I would look up to the stands and wave to my kids before taking the field.  My 'Journey to Comfort' is filled with special moments from inside the stadium, but that is one few fans might know."

Elway and Flutie join an all-star roster of athletes who have appeared in past "Journey to Comfort" videos, including Drew Brees, Albert Pujols, Joe Girardi, Andy Pettitte, Magic Johnson, John Thompson III, Bobby Hurley, Stewart Cink, Davis Love III, Kirk Herbstreit, Shaquille O'Neal, Steve Nash and Tom Izzo.  This admired group has all reached a stage where they are comfortable in their own skin.

Fan Face-Off

College football brings out the biggest rivalries of all time and now guys can compete head-to-head with fellow fans.  Earn extra bragging rights this season by participating in the Dove^® Men+Care^® Fan Bowl Photo Challenge. Even after the game is over, fans can still keep the football spirit alive by submitting photos in weekly digital challenges doled out by the "Journey to Comfort" quarterbacks.  Challenges will ask fans to share their "Most Impressive Tailgate Spread" or to don their "Best Game Face" for a chance to win "Bowl Game" tickets or meet John Elway.  The Dove^® Men+Care^® Fan Bowl Photo Challenge starts September 6, and all submitted photos will be featured in an image gallery located on DoveMenCare.com and Facebook.com\DoveMenCareUS. 

Instant Replay

If sports fans miss Elway and Flutie's stories during NCAA^® College Football programming (airing across ABC, FOX, CBS, and the ESPN family of networks), they can check out the "Journey to Comfort" videos anytime at www.dovemencare.com and www.youtube.com\dovemencareus.  Men can also watch the videos while in the comfort of their personal stadiums by visiting a dedicated Unilever "ManCave" hub on Xbox LIVE.  The "ManCave" will include Dove^® Men+Care^®  college football videos, games and trivia, along with content from other Unilever brands such as AXE^®, CLEAR^®, Degree^®, and Klondike^®.

NCAA^® and NCAA Football Corporate Partnership

Unilever, the makers of Dove^®, will spotlight Dove^® Men+Care^® during its second season as the official body wash, bar and antiperspirant of NCAA Football.  As a leader in personal care, this multi-year commitment includes Unilever's full portfolio of men's and women's personal care brands with exclusive category marketing and promotional rights related to all 89 NCAA championship events across 23 men's and women's sports as well as integrated marketing opportunities, retail and print promotions, and online and television advertising. 

Total Skin Comfort

Thanks to Dove^® Men+Care^® all men can literally be comfortable in their own skin. Built on Unilever's success in the men's deodorant category and the Dove^® brand's heritage in superior skincare, new Dove^® Men+Care^® Aqua Impact Deodorants and Antiperspirants are specifically designed to be tough on sweat, not on skin. The collection provides total underarm care with 48-hour odor and wetness protection, and has a unique formula that fights skin irritation. Joining the line of Dove^® Men+Care^® Body and Face Washes are new Clean Defense and Fresh Awake.  The Dove^® Men+Care^® Body and Face Washes have skin care built in and are clinically proven to fight skin dryness better than regular men's body washes.  They are the number one choice of dermatologists.

About Dove

Dove, manufactured by Unilever, is the No. 1 personal wash brand nationwide.  One in every three households uses a Dove product^[1], which includes beauty bars, body washes, anti-perspirant/deodorants, body mists, hair care and styling aids. Dove^® Men+Care^® is a range of products from Dove developed specially for men. Dove is available nationwide in food, drug and mass outlet stores.

About Unilever North America

Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of fast moving consumer goods with strong operations in more than 100 countries and sales in 190. With products that are used over two billion times a day around the world, we work to create a better future every day and help people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others. In the United States and Canada the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Becel, Ben & Jerry's, Bertolli, Breyers, Caress, Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy, Consort For Men, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, fds, Good Humor, Hellmann's, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, Just for Me!, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Magnum, Motions, Nexxus, Noxzema, Pond's, Popsicle, Promise, Q-tips, Ragu, Simple, Skippy, Slim-Fast, Soft & Beautiful, St. Ives, Suave, tcb, TIGI, TRESemme, Vaseline, and Wish-Bone. All of the preceding brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies. Dedicated to serving consumers and the communities where we live, work and play, Unilever employs more than 13,000 people across North America –generating over $9 billion in sales in 2011. For more information visit www.unileverusa.com or www.unilever.ca.

About NCAA

The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.NCAA.org and www.NCAA.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes.  The NCAA is proud to have the following elite companies as official Corporate Champions—AT&T, Capital One and Coca-Cola—and the following elite companies as official Corporate Partners—Allstate, Buick, Enterprise, Infiniti, LG, Lowe's, Northwestern Mutual, Reese's, Unilever, UPS and Wheat Thins.

About NCAA Football

NCAA Football USA, Inc. represents a coalition of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA), the Football Bowl Association (FBA), the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the National Football Foundation (NFF) and serves as the collective voice to promote college football. NCAA Football is managed by IMG College, a division of IMG Worldwide. For more information on NCAA Football, visit www.NCAAFootball.com.

[1] AC Nielsen (2010)

Contact:
Emma Frane/Edelman
(212) 277-3752
[email protected]

Stacie Bright/Unilever
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SOURCE Unilever