• Ad Age, Thursday, January 19, 2006 12:30 PM

Speedo plans to extend its brand beyond the men’s bikini swimsuits that made the marketer a household name and will launch a new ad campaign this spring to support a line of active wear, footwear and underwear for both men and women that was introduced over the past year. Ads will feature seven-time Olympic medalist Amanda Beard, whose appearance in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition has driven interest outside the sports arena. Choosing a female spokesmodel for its largest effort in many years is not an accident. Speedo hopes over the next few years to transform into a more predominantly female-targeted brand (vs. its previous 50-50 split), because women shop more than men and tend to better drive a brand’s image, said Craig Brommers, vice president-marketing for Speedo. The campaign, shot by fashion photographer Michael Thompson, will run in fashion titles such as W, Lucky and Surface rather than the fitness publications Speedo has previously favored.

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