NBA stars like Michael Jordan and LeBron James both have reputations that promote brands like Nike, but James Harden’s offbeat style is making for some interesting advertising – and that could be just the thing to catch the eye of millennials.
AdWeek recently reported on how the Houston Rockets guard’s appeal is finding a way to attract the usually hard-to-reach audience, through both Taco Bell’s highly effective Super Bowl spot and his various appearances in commercials for Trolli’s gummi candies.
Though Howard’s appearance in the Taco Bell ad is brief, it’s quite noteworthy, especially with his beard getting a specific mention.
No matter how small the appearance, however, his presence is quite effective in this advertising, especially with Trolli’s ads. “The core Trolli target is millennials and Gen Z consumers,” said Jill Manchester, senior vice president of marketing and brand strategy for Ferrara. “We know these consumers like to keep it real and be authentic to their true self. This same spirit is what rives Trolli and drives James.”
It helps that Harden has a huge outreach on the social front, with over seven million fans following him on Twitter and plenty of memorable appearances on the basketball court, including his infamous “eye fade” look he gave following a game back in November.
It’s a campaign that’s not only effective with creativity, but also giving Harden something he enjoys working with. One Trolli ad features his head practically turning into a fortress with various defenses, while another has his beard being interviewed while “taking a break from his face.” It even poked a small jab at his Adidas endorsement deal, but obviously bleeped out the name of the company.
Trolli also took advantage of the advertising by changing its “Weirdly Awesome” logo to “#BeardlyAwesome,” and with strong results on the social media front. That’s just the beginning, though, as the superstar will soon have his own line of Trolli candies – featuring Weird Beards.
That’s something that the millennial audience is sure to eat up.
