Dial Rings Up Hornets' Chris Paul For Right Guard Ads

Right Guard deodorant campaignAnti-perspirant/deodorant brand Right Guard has signed a sponsorship deal with the National Basketball Association (NBA). The new multi-year marketing partnership that makes Right Guard the Official Deodorant of the NBA. 

Starting this month, the Dial Corporation brand will wrap its Right Guard Xtreme and Sport products in NBA-themed packaging. Also on tap: retail promotions, advertisements and online content with NBA themes. The company says some 50 million units on shelves at retail outlets nationwide will have the NBA packaging.

Ads, which began this week during the Finals, feature New Orleans Hornets All-Star Chris Paul, with whom Right Guard has signed a multi-year endorsement deal. Paul will be in print and television advertisements to promote Right Guard's association with the NBA. Right Guard will also be involved in Paul's signature charity event, the annual "Chris Paul's Winston-Salem Weekend."

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The ads show Paul doing his thing. Voiceover: "The game has gotten faster, the players bigger, and the armpits, well, looks like we got here just in time, Right Guard Xtreme."

In addition, a large-scale national consumer promotion will launch at retail locations in the fall of 2008. Also, starting next season, Right Guard will be fully integrated within NBA.com's fantasy basketball section and have significant presence during key points of the NBA season, including NBA All-Star, the NBA Playoffs and The Finals.

"Our partnership with Right Guard is a perfect fit for our young and active fan base," said Mark Tatum, NBA SVP/marketing partnerships. "High performance and athleticism are key attributes shared by both Right Guard and the NBA, and we are looking forward to developing exciting marketing and retail programs that will emphasize these shared qualities to NBA fans."

An NBA spokesperson says Right Guard creative is being handled by BBDO Energy. The NBA is providing creative input, as it does with all partners on advertising and marketing activation. He adds that right now, Right Guard's only presence will be via advertising.

"This is Right Guard's first league-level sponsorship of any sport and will be the pillar of their activation. They have a long history with athlete endorsers, including commercials featuring Charles Barkley and Scottie Pippen, but have never before had a partnership with a sports league at this level," says the spokesperson.

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