The biggest mystery of 2023 might not be found in the Rian Johnson-directed, Natasha Lyonne-starring Poker Face series on Peacock. Instead, it was found in the Downy Unstopables commercial for Super Bowl LVII. In the three months leading up to the Big Game on Feb. 12, Downy had a mysterious celebrity underneath a blue hoodie. Well, that mystery has been REVEALED: it’s been TheRighteous Gemstones and Eastbound & Down star Danny McBride.
Or, should we say, “Downy McBride.” Set to DMX‘s “What’s My Name?”, the newly rechristened Downy McBride busts out the golf cart, the leather jacket, and the Downy Unstopables cannons to deliver long-lasting freshness to the neighborhood. Even when he takes a tumble, “Downy” takes it in stride. “Knock Downy down-y, he gets back up-y,” he says with a smile.
So concludes a saga that started with a man in a hoodie…ie sweatshirt. “[They] want to use my face for their Super Bowl ad,” the then-unknown celeb says in the first teaser. “But I haven’t agreed yet, because I don’t believe it will keep your clothes fresh for twelve weeks. So I’m gonna sniff this thing until the Super Bowl to see if it’s true. But until then, I’m going to hide my identity.”
What You Will Learn
- The identity behind the mysterious celebrity in the Downy commercial.
- How the campaign creatively engages with consumer skepticism.
- The humorous elements that made the ad memorable.
- Insights into Procter & Gamble's marketing strategies.
Biography of Danny McBride
| Name | Danny McBride |
|---|---|
| Birth Date | December 29, 1976 |
| Occupation | Actor, Writer, Producer |
| Notable Works | The Righteous Gemstones, Eastbound & Down |
| Education | University of North Carolina School of the Arts |
Created by Procter & Gamble’s Woven Collaborative, a multi-agency collective co-led by executives from WPP’s Grey and Publicis Groupe’s Leo Burnett and Saatchi & Saatchi (who are working on the spot), the ad is a way for P&G to address consumer’s concerns about the efficacy of the product. “What we find is consumers have a hard time believing that Downy Unstopables could actually last as long as the brand claims that it can last,” said Jenny Maxwell, P&G’s senior brand director of North America Fabric Care, per AdWeek. “We thought what better thing to do than launch our Super Bowl ad way ahead of the Super Bowl.”
“The beauty of this campaign is that it goes back to that tension that is created by what the consumer thinks of the product,” said Ciro Sarmiento, chief creative officer of Woven Collaborative. “We have an incredible product with an incredible truth, which is the long-lasting scent. There’s also an incredible tension from the consumer, which is people usually don’t believe in [advertising and marketing] claims.”
