Americans will consume 325.5 million gallons of beer, 1.33 billion pieces of chicken wings and 139 million pounds of avocados on Super Bowl Sunday.

Knowing very well that the colloquial holiday for communal gluttony will naturally lead to an unabashed blitzkrieg of bloated guests with bulging bladders looking for brief solace in bathrooms nationwide, Febreze is celebrating the biggest day of the year for football fans and brands alike by celebrating with “America’s Halftime Bathroom Break.”

Febreze, an official partner of the NFL, is joining Super Sunday as a sponsor with its first-ever ad for the big game by tapping actress Kathryn Hahn with a fully fleshed out campaign that introduces their new OdorClear technology.

The 30-second ad—which Fox is charging close to a cool $5 million for—is conveniently timed to air just prior to the stampede to the can at halftime, and just before Lady Gaga serenades the projected 110 million people who are going to tune in to watch the game. The TV spot will be complemented with a longer form online video, digital ads, in-store and a PR campaign linked with Charmin.

Procter & Gamble, one of the world’s highest-spending advertisers and parent company of Febreze, is taking a set of brand triplets to TV for Super Bowl. Tide and Mr. Clean will have presence with commercials, too.

On the digital side, however, P&G issued a call to arms to the ad industry earlier this week over an “antiquated” media buying process, demanding that it be cleaned up—or else they’ll invest elsewhere. Marc Pritchard, P&G’s chief marketing officer, slammed the “crappy media supply chain” and urged marketers to act in the face of “crappy advertising accompanied by even crappier viewing experiences” at the IAB Annual Leadership Meeting in Hollywood, Florida.

P&G, set to review all agency contracts in 2017, spent $7.2 billion on advertising last year, according to the annual financial report they released.

The Febreze brand spent a portion of that, and they are no stranger to taking risks with some funky fresh marketing. During the holidays, the odor-eliminating spray brought back its second installment of the holiday marketing hit with the “12 Stinks of Christmas” featuring “The World’s Greatest Entertainer” in beatbox pioneer Doug E. Fresh to breathe some fresh air into the homes of Santa-celebrating citizens.

Martin Hettich, vice president of P&G home care in North America and a brand franchise leader for global air care, joined [a]listdaily to detail their Super Bowl marketing strategy.

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Why was it critical for Febreze to be a part of the Super Bowl conversation for the first time this year?

 

This year marks the launch of our toughest formula to date, the new Febreze with OdorClear technology. Febreze is now even more effective at eliminating odors from your air and soft surfaces. This is the largest product innovation since our ‪inception, and to us, that is worth celebrating with an all-new ad campaign called ‘Odor Odes’ and our first-ever Super Bowl spot. The Super Bowl spot is based on a consumer driven insight—bathroom usage spikes at halftime. There is no better time or place to remind consumers that the new Febreze with OdorClear technology cleans away the trillions of football-fueled odors during the halftime bathroom break.

What is Febreze’s marketing strategy for its new brand marketing campaign in “Odor Odes?”

Let’s face it: sometimes the things you love the most can be super stinky. Our old basement couches, our furry friends, favorite yoga pants and our cooking experiments. They ultimately make our lives better . . . even when they stink. An ‘Odor Ode’ is a witty way to honor the things we love the most that can stink the most, including the much-anticipated halftime bathroom break. Febreze has a long, successful tradition of keeping it ‘real’ with consumers and ‘Odor Odes’ is our new marketing campaign to extend that wit and realness while sharing that the new Febreze cleans away life’s odors.

How will lifestyle blogger Katherine Schwarzenegger and NFL star Josh Norman further promote the campaign? Is it paired with a larger influencer marketing strategy?

Katherine, Josh and [Denver Broncos wide receiver] Emmanuel Sanders will serve as brand spokespersons, reminding football fans everywhere the importance of being ready for the impending halftime bathroom break, with Febreze and Charmin. As part of the PR effort, we are spreading the word that with a little party prep—including putting the new Febreze with OdorClear technology and Charmin Ultra Strong on your gameday shopping list so that you can prevent a serious and stinky party foul. When the whistle blows, the halftime bathroom break ensues—in fact, more toilets are flushed between the second and third quarter of the Super Bowl than any other time during the year!

How else are you leveraging your partnership with the NFL?

The NFL partnership will be seen in marketing collateral, in-store and through PR efforts. In addition, Josh and Emmanuel will serve as brand spokespersons for the ‘Halftime Bathroom Break’ with Febreze and Charmin on Radio Row in Houston this week.

Which social channels is Febreze most interested in engaging with your audience during the Super Bowl for your longer-form film? Are you looking to test any new emerging platforms? How do you plan to win big on social, too?

We’re always looking for new ways to engage our audiences and be a part of the conversations they are already having. The long form of the Super Bowl work helps to tell the full story of why consumers should be prepared with Febreze. Aside from our owned channels, we will also be working with Katherine, Josh and Emmanuel to engage their loyal followers on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and more. We also will be live posting on game day.

The price of Super Bowl ads has grown 75 percent in the last decade, reaching upward of a $5 million price tag. Why is it worth it? How can digital budgets and efforts be properly executed, and even be a centerpiece?

With over 100 million fans expected to watch the Super Bowl this year—and the anticipated spikes in halftime bathroom usage—we felt it was the perfect time and place to unveil our first-ever Super Bowl ad. For us it’s about reach and relevance—and our campaign this year has both. We don’t comment on marketing budgets but will say the proper holistic combination of traditional, digital and earned media has worked very well for our brand.

What creative and marketing trends will you be paying attention to from competing advertisers this year?

We always love seeing what other brands can come up with, especially during the Super Bowl. Everyone brings their A-game and we’re excited to be a part of it all this year. We have to say—this year seems to be the year of the cleaning brands. We’re loving the Mr. Clean spot and can’t wait to see Tide’s spot in the big game, too.

Follow Manouk Akopyan on Twitter @Manouk_Akopyan

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