Dannon has dropped John Stamos as spokesman for its Oikos brand in favor of Carolina Panthers star Cam Newton, who just became the second quarterback in history to win his division with a losing record. “We have ended our relationship with John Stamos. We had a great run with him,” Art D’Elia, Dannon’s vice president of marketing overseeing Oikos, told AdAge, adding, “we wanted a spokesperson and an advertising model that could help us appeal more to males and that’s why we made the decision.”
In a new spot from Y&R Barcelona, Newton introduces Oikos Triple Zero, the brand’s new line with no added sugar, artificial sweeteners or fat, aimed at men. Newton touts the brand as his “go-to protein snack” and tells a skeptical man that it “packs 15 grams of protein punch.” The 30-second spot made its debut yesterday on NFL Network and will also run later in the month during NFC and AFC Championship games. But D’Elia told AdAge that Oikos will not be making an appearance in the Super Bowl this year (as it had in 2012 and 2014 with Stamos), citing a desire to “get out of the gate strong with media to drive awareness and trial.”
The push to target a male audience shouldn’t come as a surprise, given that Dannon signed an agreement with the NFL to become the league’s official yogurt in 2015 earliest this year. Cam Newton has become a sought after spokesperson in recent years and since August has appeared in ads for Beats, Gatorade and Under Armour, so his selection isn’t surprising either. Dannon claims the campaign is supported by a “multi-million dollar media investment” which includes media buys for ESPN and Spike, as well as digital takeovers on NFL.com.