Gillette and NHL® Superstar Alex Ovechkin Team Up for Marketing and Charitable Partnership

WASHINGTON and MOSCOW, Dec. 7, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- P&G (NYSE: PG) today announced a multi-year partnership with National Hockey League star, Alex Ovechkin to serve as a Gillette Brand Ambassador.  Ovechkin will appear in advertising and marketing activities in support of the world's leading male grooming brand in Russia and Eastern Europe and will collaborate with Gillette to create charity programs that will contribute to youth hockey development in the region, as well as the Washington, D. C. area.

Ovechkin, the 25 year-old Washington Capitals left wing, is one of the most talented and exciting players in the National Hockey League.  Since bursting onto the scene in 2005, he has taken the NHL by storm, winning the Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded to the Most Valuable Player in 2008 and 2009. He also won the Lester B. Pearson Award in 2008, 2009 and 2010.  The award is presented annually to the "most outstanding player" in the NHL as voted by fellow members of the National Hockey League Players' Association.  He is the first player in NHL history to be named a First Team All-Star in each of his first five NHL seasons and he is only the fourth player in history to score more than 200 goals in the first four years of his career joining hockey icons Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Mike Bossy.  In July 2009, Ovechkin was named "Official Ambassador" to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

"It's an honor to work with Gillette, the world's leading grooming brand.  I look forward to partnering with Gillette to help young hockey players learn the game and to help them be the best they can be in hockey and in life," said Ovechkin.

"We're excited about our partnership with Alex. He is one of today's fiercest competitors and a dedicated professional who is committed to working with us to help develop younger hockey players," said Svetlana Stishkova, Gillette Marketing Director, Russia.   "We are looking forward to working with him in Russia and Eastern Europe to help us launch the latest addition to the Gillette Fusion family and the new series of Gillette products for sensitive skin."

The first campaign includes two television commercials along with print and online advertisements and point-of-sale materials featuring Ovechkin's name and likeness.

About Procter & Gamble

Four 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®, Gain®, Pringles®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun® and Fusion®. The P&G community includes approximately 135,000 employees working in about 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

SOURCE P&G