NIVEA Stress Protect antiperspirant deodorant has been announced as the new sponsor of ITV1 gameshow The Cube, following a deal between Beiersdorf and ITV Commercial brokered by MEC Access.
The sponsorship highlights the new deodorant’s ability to protect against the effects of stress sweating, which is often experienced by the show’s contestants who struggle to keep their nerve in a high pressure game of skill and strategy to win a top prize of £250,000.
Ray Gardiner, sponsorship sales manager, ITV, commented: “Beiersdorf are already a highly valued partner of our daytime programme, This Morning. We are delighted they have extended their association with ITV by sponsoring the upcoming series of The Cube as we believe the NIVEA Stress Protect brand is a great fit for the nerve jangling prime time programme.”
The deal runs for 12 episodes from Saturday 2 March and is the first major campaign launched by MEC since it won the NIVEA account in late 2012. The sponsorship is based on ideas submitted during the original pitch and follows insights from studies run by Beiersdorf.
Entitled ‘The moment before the moment’, the creative – which forms a large part of the new Beiresdorf Northern European approach, focuses on emotional stress-induced sweat that is higher in pheromones and smells stronger; something that NIVEA’s new product has been formulated to combat.
The Cube partnership is the UK activation of this wider activity, and will be supported by adverts within relevant ‘stress’ environments such as dating, career and auction/bidding websites. Further digital activation includes a YouTube widget called ‘A date to remember’ created by Agency Republic showcasing the stresses of a date night.
Of the sponsorship and wider campaign, Stephen Byrne, senior brand manager – personal care UK & ROI Beiersdorf UK, said: “The strategic direction from MEC has enabled a unified approach across all markets in Northern Europe and makes for a campaign that will be hugely successful.”
MEC business director, Beatrice Boue, added: “The insight uncovered by MEC gave us a clear strategic direction culminating in an integrated campaign across all the Northern European markets. The activation kicked off from the UK with the sponsorship of The Cube on ITV and rolled onto the Swedish and Danish markets. We’re extremely proud of the overarching strategy and think this UK partnership is the perfect vehicle to raise awareness of this new product.”