• New York Times, NY Sports Journalism, Friday, September 3, 2010 10:37 AM

Why, exactly, would Febreze want to be the "Official Air Freshener of the NFL," you ask? Andrew Adam Newman did, too. It's all in the interests of debunking the myth that women don't like football.

"Our female target audience is watching the NFL and gathering her family and friends for that football-watching experience," says Scott Beal, brand manager for the Procter & Gamble brand. "Often when that happens," [in households other than mine], "there's food and there's a crowded room and odors can be there, and that's not the experience you want to have."

Beal says the line of air and fabric fresheners "reaches our core consumer in a contextually relevant way" through the NFL sponsorship and, as you might imagine, the numbers back him up. Female viewers constituted 33% of the average game audience last season, according to Nielsen.

Besides the standard TV campaign, online videos and Facebook page, a customized bus will visit stadiums throughout the season in the Febreze Game Day Freshness tour. Olivia Manning, mother of two NFL quarterbacks, is its spokeswoman. "I wish I had Febreze when my boys were coming home with their smelly gear," she quips.

Barry Janoff, meanwhile, reports In NY Sports Journalism that Papa John's has unveiled a multi-media, multi-level strategy to support its rookie season as the official pizza of the NFL.

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