Campaign: Beastmode
Company: Unilever
Agency Partners: Edelman (public relations); Unusual LA (advertising and creative); Billion Dollar Boy (influencers); WPP Unite (paid media)
Dates: September 12 — November 6, 2025
Some deodorants smell like coconut; some body washes smell like eucalyptus.
Dove Men+Care Beastmode deodorants smell like “if ambition had armpits,” according to former NFL star running back Marshawn Lynch.
Strategy
The Unilever personal care brand started working with Lynch, whose nickname is Beast Mode, in 2024 because “we really wanted somebody who is unapologetic, is themselves, is authentic and confident, and if you followed Marshawn at all over his career and in his post- career life, that is for sure him,” said Jake Hirsch, head of Dove Men+Care U.S.
The brand’s target audience was “sports fans, Gen Z into millennials, but also, it was really about men who want more than just a functional product. They want self-care that delivers freshness and confidence and individuality,” Hirsch said.
Tactics
In the brand’s latest campaign with Lynch, the athlete promoted the Dove Men+Care Beastmode Collection, which includes two limited-edition fragrances, You Just Got Got and Beast to the Bone, which were exclusively available at Target.
Lynch helped pick the scents and names of the products, Hirsch said.
A release from Dove Men+Care states that the Beastmode Collection was inspired by Lynch’s “signature confidence.”
For commercials, the creatives gave Lynch “general outlines in terms of the flow of the shoot, in terms of production,” Hirsch said. But aside from that, they told him, “You can make this your own in terms of how you want the message to come across.”
In a new 79-second spot, scientists study Lynch in a lab and determine that he has “unquantifiable levels of swag.” They then state that they have “isolated the Beastmode essence.”
After one of the guys in white lab coats tries to explain the scent, Lynch interrupts and says, “Nah, that ain’t it. It’s more like if ambition had armpits. I’m talking Beastmode.”
The brand also created jerseys signed by Lynch and offered consumers a chance to win one. They jerseys featured Lynch’s former jersey number, 24, but instead of Lynch, the name on the back of the jersey was “Beastmode.”
“Who doesn’t love the opportunity to get signed merchandise from really incredible athletes?” Hirsch said.
He added that the brand wanted to make sure there “was some kind of engagement moment for fans — both of Marshawn and the brand — to feel like they can go out and get something special, in addition to waiting for the product to drop.”
Dove Men+Care promoted the products across social media and on Lynch’s podcast, Da Get Got Pod, via live reads and custom segment sponsorships.
To generate earned media, the brand sent press releases to journalists at a variety of news outlets.
The brand also worked with influencers such as sports commentator Kay Adams, actor Daniel Peera and fitness guru Nate Tago.
In a TikTok reel, Peera wakes his children, who are off camera, in the early morning and says, “Rise and shine, yes indeed,” as he gets ready to take them to Target to buy the new Beastmode products.
@danielpeeraandco #DoveMenPartner a little life lesson from pops: when Marshawn Lynch drops his limited edition BeastMode x @dovemencare ♬ original sound – Daniel Peera
“I was kind of like Marshawn before Marshawn,” Peera says after visiting the retailer. “Played four years of junior varsity, set a state record for most fumbles in one game, so I know a little something about Beastmode myself.”
Results
The campaign received coverage from outlets like Forbes and Stupiddope. On Instagram, campaign posts generated more than 16,000 likes and 260,000 views.
Adams’ Instagram and TikTok posts generated more than 4,400 likes and 181,000 views.
Peera’s TikTok reel received more than 5,100 likes and 1.3 million views.
