Procter & Gamble

Baseball’s Elite Go Head-To-Head in Hair-Raising Series of Online Video Competitions

CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul. 9, 2012-- Head & Shoulders®, the official shampoo of Major League Baseball (MLB), today announced the kick-off of the “Mane Man Challenge,” a virtual competition amongst a line-up of MLB All Stars. Nick Swisher, Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez and Dennis Eckersley will prove that a healthy hair and scalp really does equal great performance thanks to the new Active Sport shampoo. Current mane man, Minnesota Twins’ catcher Joe Mauer, is leading the charge this season to see if these three challengers have both the hair and unorthodox off-the-field skills to join the ranks of the Head & Shoulders hair elite.

Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez gets his game face ready for the Head & Shoulders Mane Man Challenge, an online competition involving hilarious videos where Pudge will be competing against Nick Swisher and Dennis Eckersley in hair-raising challenges for the title of "Mane Man." Check out the videos on YouTube and vote for your favorite All-Star on the Head & Shoulders for Men Facebook Page. (Photo: Business Wire)

Starting today, Head & Shoulders is giving fans front-row access via the Head & Shoulders for Men Facebook page to watch All-Stars Swisher, Rodriguez and Hall-of-Famer Eckersley compete in hilarious, hair-raising challenges – from their outrageous batting skills to their off-the-cuff verbal antics – and vote for their favorite competitor to win the Head & Shoulders Mane Man title. To help prep for the task ahead, the challengers went to great lengths to provide fans with pre-competition stats to help sway the vote:

• Nick Swisher – Nickname: “Swish;” Favorite Hairstyle: “Swish-hawk”
• Ivan Rodriguez – Nickname: “Pudge;” Favorite Hairstyle: Smooth and sleek
• Dennis Eckersley – Nickname: “Eck;” Favorite Hairstyle: Long and lean (plus signature moustache, of course)

Furthermore, fans can see how they match up against the All Stars by uploading their own videos to the Head & Shoulders for Men Facebook page to showcase their attempt at these record-breaking stunts for a chance to win a walk-on role in an online video with the Mane Man Challenge winner.

“It takes more than athleticism and personality to be a Head & Shoulders Mane Man,” says Joe Mauer. “What’s important is having great looking hair and a healthy scalp because as a second-year Mane Man, I’ve found that I play better when I don’t have to worry about how I look. In fact, Head & Shoulders gives me the confidence to excel both on and off the field.”

“It’s not surprising that 64% of athletes say that ‘when they look good, they play good’ because, as we’ve seen at Head & Shoulders, looks can truly affect confidence,” states Michael Sabbia, North America Brand Manager of Head & Shoulders at Procter & Gamble. “And as the official shampoo sponsor of Major League Baseball, we are proud to provide players and fans with the tools needed to ensure healthy scalps and great looking hair for that added confidence and performance no matter the challenge.”

With 50 years of proven scalp care technology and success, Head & Shoulders continues to be a trusted daily grooming staple of professional athletes as the official shampoo of MLB and the National Football League. To learn more about the Head & Shoulders For Men line-up, which includes four formulations – NEW Active Sport, Deep Clean, Hair Endurance and Refresh – visit the Head & Shoulders for Men Facebook page.

About Procter & Gamble

P&G serves approximately 4.4 billion people around the world with its brands. The Company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Fairy®, Gain®, Pringles®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun®, Fusion®, Ace®, Febreze®, Ambi Pur®, SK-II®, and Vicks®. The P&G community includes operations in about 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

About Major League Baseball Properties

The Major League Baseball Clubs formed Major League Baseball Properties (MLBP) in 1966 as the Clubs’ agent for marketing and trademark licensing and protection. Major League Baseball Properties is responsible for managing consumer licensing activities, developing national advertising campaigns, cultivating sponsorship opportunities with major consumer brands and corporations, growing the game and the business of baseball outside the United States and creating national marketing programs in conjunction with Clubs, broadcast rights holders and national sponsors. MLBP also operates a full-service video and audio production unit (Major League Baseball Productions), a publishing division and stock photo licensing agency, and manages logistics for the All-Star Game and World Series as well as all other special events. For more information on Major League Baseball, log on to www.MLB.com.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50326772&lang=en

This press release has an accompanying Smart Marketing Page providing further details about the organization, products and services introduced above. You can access the Smart Marketing Page via the following link: https://smp.newshq.businesswire.com/pages/major-league-baseball-greats-nick-swisher-ivan-rodriguez-and-dennis-eckersley-compete-head-sho

Source: Procter & Gamble

Marina Maher Communications
Alexandra Kahrer, 212-485-6835
akahrer@mahercomm.com