• by David Kaplan , October 12, 2004

Procter & Gamble and Comcast Spotlight are preparing to unveil an integrated promotion that involving P&G's launch of Old Spice Red Zone Body Wash and Comcast's college football programming, while parodying the heated election season.

The promotion intended to leverage Comcast Spotlight's distribution platforms to reach the product's target audience, men 18-34.

The promotion, entitled "Old Spice Red Zone Presidential Election" combines grass-roots marketing at college football games across the country, television spots that will drive consumers to campaign headquarters at www.OldSpice.com, partnerships with cable networks plus long-form features on VOD. The search for Red Zone Presidential candidates will be initially held on 17 campuses across the U.S.

After three candidates are chosen at college campuses in each market, they will star in their own promotional spots showing their campaign strategies and "cross-party" appeal, with all thanks going to Red Zone Body Wash.

The candidate spots will air for four consecutive Saturdays during college football games starting October 16 in 20 Comcast Cable markets on key networks including ESPN, ESPN 2 and Fox Sports Net.

Markets in which the Old Spice Red Zone Presidential Election spots will air include Los Angeles, Boston, Detroit, Cincinnati Pittsburgh, Chicago, Dallas, Seattle, Miami, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Sacramento, Denver, Portland, San Francisco, Atlanta, Phoenix, Orlando and Nashville.

The spots will direct viewers to www.OldSpice.com, where they can view streaming video of the "Primary" winner from each market and, through November 6, 2004, learn details on how to enter to win a trip to Hawaii.

Additionally, visitors to the site can vote for the Old Spice Red Zone President on the nation's actual Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 2. The winning candidate also will win a trip to Hawaii.

Visitors to Comcast.net and ESPN.com also will be directed to the site, as well as to long-form features showing behind-the-scenes campaign footage on Comcast's VOD service.

"We worked with Procter & Gamble to develop this multi-platform, multi-market campaign," said Nancy Newman, integrated marketing manager at Comcast Spotlight in Chicago. "With offerings on-site, on-air, on-line, and now on with Comcast's VOD service - and with a presence in so many markets - we are able to give them the reach and targetability they needed and that is unique to Comcast Spotlight."