Chad Johnson in Fans' Hands this Weekend and All Season
15 September 2007 - 6:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
CINCINNATI, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Football superstar
Chad Johnson is known for taking risks. He's promised to take
another one this weekend by leaping into Cleveland's notorious Dawg
Pound if he scores a touchdown this Sunday. That's just one more
way Chad will put himself in fans' hands this season. As part of a
new interactive campaign powered by Degree Men, fans have
unprecedented access to "85," including a new fan-driven cornerback
checklist, as well as personalized trash-talk messages,
behind-the-scenes videos and interactive TV. CHECKLIST FOR CHARITY
Johnson's cornerback checklist has received much fanfare in the
last two seasons. This season, Johnson is taking a risk by letting
fans decide which way he checks his checklist after each of his 16
regular season games. To give fans an extra incentive to vote each
week, Degree Men is making an 8.5 cent donation to Feed the
Children, an international non-profit hunger relief organization,
for each vote made online at TrashTalk85.com. Johnson hopes to
raise $85,000 for Feed the Children this season through the
checklist. "My checklist has always given me extra motivation,"
said Johnson. "But the opportunity to help needy kids around the
world increases my drive. I had the unique opportunity to tour
Kenya in the spring and it really opened my eyes. I hope the fans
will get behind the checklist this season because Degree Men has
made it so simple to help these kids." TALK TRASH WITH YOUR FRIENDS
... OR FOES Johnson is so confident that he'll eventually wind up
in the end zone that he regularly calls out his opponents. This
year Johnson is letting fans get in on the fun, and he's doing all
the talking. Fans can log onto TrashTalk85.com to create
personalized trash talking messages from Chad that can be sent to a
cell phone of their choice. Each message features customized names,
favorite team, work, hobbies and home state. Fans can also take a
page from "85" and taunt their fantasy football opponents
throughout the season. OCHO CINCO COMES TO A LIVING ROOM NEAR YOU
Johnson also plans to offer fans an all-access pass to his life off
the football field through a series of online videos called the
Risk Cam. The Risk Cam will feature unscripted videos produced by
Johnson that showcase "85" in a series of situations throughout the
season. The Risk Cam videos will be posted at TrashTalk85.com.
"Chad is the league's consummate risk taker and we're proud to
partner with him again this season," said Sam Chadha, marketing
director, deodorants, Unilever. "Degree Men always protects men
like Chad who take calculated risks -- and we're excited to give
fans exclusive content they want around one of football's most
popular superstars." The campaign also marks the first time that a
cause-related initiative will reach interactive TV viewers. Chad's
channel will deliver remote control access to all elements of the
campaign; interactive TV viewers can cast votes on Chad's checklist
that will raise donations for "Feed the Children," watch Risk Cam
videos and preview personalized trash-talk messages from Chad. The
channel will be supported by :15-second spots and run across both
Dish Network and DirecTV, reaching approximately 25MM interactive
TV homes. BrightLine iTV Marketing Specialists designed the
interactive TV components of the campaign. Visit
http://www.trashtalk85.com/ for exclusive content including Chad's
virtual checklist, trash-talking messages and the Risk Cam videos.
About Unilever Unilever (NYSE: UL; UN), one of the world's largest
consumer products companies, aims to add vitality to life by
meeting everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care.
Each day, around the world, consumers make 160 million decisions to
purchase Unilever products. The company has a portfolio of brands
that make people feel good, look good and get more out of life. In
the United States these brands include recognized names such as:
Axe, "all," Ben & Jerry's, Bertolli, Breyers, Caress, Country
Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, Hellmann's, Knorr,
Lipton, Popsicle, Promise, Q-Tips, Skippy, Slim-Fast, Snuggle,
Suave, Sunsilk and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are
registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies. Dedicated
to serving consumers and the communities where we live, work and
play, Unilever in the United States employs approximately 13,000
people in more than 60 office and manufacturing sites in 24 states
and Puerto Rico - generating nearly $10 billion in sales in 2006.
For more information, visit http://www.unileverusa.com/. About Feed
The Children Founded in 1979 by Larry and Frances Jones, Feed The
Children is the 9th largest international charity in the U.S.,
based on private, non-government support. The mission of Feed The
Children is to deliver food, medicine, clothing and other
necessities to families who lack these essentials due to famine,
war, poverty or natural disaster. In FY 2005, Feed The Children
shipped more than 183 million pounds of food and other essentials
to children and their families in all 50 states and
internationally, supplementing more than 1,463,065 meals each day.
Since its founding, the organization has reached out to help those
in need in 118 countries around the globe. For more information,
please visit http://www.feedthechildren.org/. DATASOURCE: Unilever
CONTACT: Chad Kersman, +1-312-988-2354, or Jerry Gleason,
+1-312-988-2277, both of Weber Shandwick for Unilever; or Heather
Mitchell of Unilever, +1-312-661-2326 Web site:
http://www.unileverusa.com/ http://trashtalk85.com/
http://www.feedthechildren.org/
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