Neymar Jr directly addressed criticism of his on-pitch theatrics and injury exaggerations in a new Brazilian campaign for Gillette called ‘Um Novo Homem Todo Dia (A New Man Every Day)’.
The campaign is half mea-culpa, half defence as the PSG and Brazilian forward confesses that some of his antics during the World Cup in Russia were over exaggerated.
Spearheaded by a black and white spot, the creative sees Neymar Jr look himself in the mirror, assume the possibility that he has made mistakes and express his desire to be better than yesterday – every day.
The voiceover says: “You may think I exaggerate. And sometimes I do exaggerate. But the truth is I suffer on the pitch. I took long to accept your criticism. I took long to look at myself in the mirror and become a new man. I fell, but only who falls can pick himself up.”
Neymar closes the spot by asking Brazilians to give him a chance to redeem himself and promises to become a ‘new man’.
“You can keep casting stones. Or throw these stones away and help me stand. When I stand, all of Brazil stands with me.”
The campaign’s lead television commercial aired nationally and is also amplified across the brand’s Brazilian digital and social channels including YouTube,
Comment:
The statistics show that Neymar was the most fouled player at the World Cup: with an average of 5.2 fouls drawn per match.
Isco was second at 4.8 and Eden Hazard third at 4.5.
But he was certainly heavily criticised for his over-the-top feigned injury embellishments designed to get opposing players booked or undeservedly earn free kicks.
Indeed, Neymar’s diving became something of a meme at the 2018 World Cup: so much so that a fan even created a Neymar alphabet called #Neytype crafted out of images of his antics.
Someone created a Neymar Alphabet. Thank you. #lucianojacob #neytype pic.twitter.com/IS6U6cZvlT
— Shannon Sims (@shannongsims) July 11, 2018
You can see this campaign as ‘honest’ or ‘exploitative’.
After all, it sits bang on the line between an apology for and a defense of his actions and antics.
It reminds us a little of Tiger Wood’s own Nike mea-culpa commercial from back in 2010 (see case study).
Neymar’s endorser deal with Gillette is both local in Brazil and part of the brand’s global marketing athlete ambassador stable.
In his home market, before the World Cup kicked off, Gillette leveraged its ambassador deal with the player through a Facebook Q&A sessions
Want to know what I do to overcome the challenges that arise in my daily life and career ?? Send your question in my post there on Facebook that I will be live with @GilletteBR @desimpedidos and @boliviazica on Wednesday, 16/05
Quer saber o que eu faço para superar os desafios que surgem na minha vida e carreira diariamente?? Mande sua pergunta no meu post lá no Facebook que estarei ao vivo com @GilletteBR @desimpedidos e o @boliviazica na quarta, 16/05 #EmbaixadorGillette pic.twitter.com/yMHX8kRMaG
— Neymar Jr (@neymarjr) May 14, 2018
While among Neymar’s other Gillette campaigns was the Rio 2016 Olympics ‘Perfect Isn’t Pretty’ initiative (see case study),
While through the summer, Neymar Jr was one of the 2018 World’s Cup’s most prominent athlete ambassadors – appearing in campaigns for the likes of Nike (see case study), Beats By Dre (see case study) and Mastercard (see case study).
Links:
Gillette Brazil
https://www.facebook.com/GilletteBrasil
