Adweek - New York, NY, USA - Actor
Charlie Sheen, known for his antics in and out of clothes, will appear in a TV ad campaign with
Michael Jordan for Hanes underwear starting next month.
Two spots, via IPG's The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va., will debut on June 2 during the NHL finals on NBC. They will also air later in the week during the NBA finals and Nascar coverage on ESPN.
In both spots, Sheen is featured as a dedicated Jordan fan that finds out he is wearing the same brand of underwear as the basketball celebrity.
One spot, called "Phone Toss," shows Sheen running up to Jordan's car as he is exiting a hotel and telling Jordan that someone turned him on to the new Hanes Lay Flat Collar Undershirt. He suggests Jordan do the same, not realizing that he's already wearing one. As Jordan starts to drive away, Sheen keeps talking, inviting Jordan to dinner and asking for his phone number. Jordan is finally forced to drive away, prompting Sheen to throw his phone in the back seat of Jordan's convertible and asking to call him.
The commercials will be part of an online push that launches July 14, with ad banners and sponsorship of the Fantasy Baseball Hanes Comfort Zone on ESPN.com. The campaign's messaging will also be placed in select XboxLive.com games, including Nascar 2008, NHL 2008 and MLB's The Bigs. Additionally, Hanes will launch a special landing page on June 2 at Hanes.com/Charlie, featuring the TV campaign, outtakes and other content targeted to men.
