KENOSHA, WI: Jockey, with help from PR agency Zeno Group, plans to keep up buzz around its Mad Bum underwear line with a broadcast media tour featuring San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner.
The brand revealed the new men’s underwear on Thursday after the San Francisco Giants beat the Kansas City Royals in game seven of the World Series, led by the championship MVP Bumgarner.
This week the professional baseball player, whose nickname is Mad Bum, will appear in TV interviews to talk about the new product. He will also potentially offer the shows’ hosts their own pair of Mad Bum underwear, said Zeno Group CEO Barby Siegel.
Zeno, which developed the idea for the campaign, will prep Bumgarner this week for his interviews.
"We were able to make a deal with Bumgarner in remarkably short order at a time when he was very busy and we had to be ready for what would hopefully be a win," Siegel explained.
During an interview with Bumgarner, Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon also revealed his pair of Mad Bum underwear on Monday night.
The firm won the business in August following a competitive review, said Jockey International CMO Dustin Cohn, adding that Zeno rose above the competition due to its "big ideas and strategic thinking."
The Mad Bum effort is an extension of Jockey’s Supporting Greatness campaign, which features former astronaut Buzz Aldrin, MLB great Babe Ruth, and former US Army general George Patton.
Jockey kicked off the effort last week as soon as the Giants won the World Series on Thursday night. The brand’s media planning agency, GRP Media, activated digital billboards in San Francisco and Times Square within minutes, said Cohn.
Zeno oversaw on-the-ground sampling activities during the Parade of Champions in San Francisco last Friday, where Bumgarner handed out pairs of underwear to the crowd.
Droga5 developed the ads for the campaign and is handling the brand’s social media channels.
Cohn said the goals of the initiative are to increase traffic to Jockey.com, engage fans on social media, and gain earned media coverage. So far, the campaign has garnered a number of media hits in outlets including USA Today, Sports Illustrated, Forbes, Sports Center, and BuzzFeed.
"Finding the right activation is so important, and underwear is something you should have some fun with," Siegel said. "This really hit the right balance."
Jockey and its agency partners will continue sharing Mad Bum content with fans as long as there is an appetite for it, said Cohn.
Prior to Zeno, Jockey worked with Cone Communications, but the relationship ended in 2013.
