The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2020–2022
Rexona printed its logo on umpires' underarms, seen 1 billion times
Boundary boards get ignored, so Rexona put its logo on umpires' underarms — visible only when arms rise for a wicket or six, exactly when its claim matters.
Unilever (Rexona Clinical)
The solution
An antiperspirant buying a cricket sponsorship usually gets generic boundary signage that viewers' eyes skip past — nothing about a logo on a board says 'sweat'. Rexona Clinical needed a different way to own the summer.
Clemenger BBDO Sydney's answer was an industry-first sponsorship deal with Cricket Australia: the Rexona Clinical logo, with its iconic tick, was printed on the underarms of Big Bash League umpires' uniforms. The logo is hidden most of the time and only revealed in the dramatic, high-stress moments when umpires raise their arms — a wicket, a six, a powerplay or power-surge call — exactly when the message 'keeps you cool under pressure' is most relevant.
The placement is the message, and the broadcast does the revealing for free at the perfect moment. With BBL series viewership topping 42 million, the logo was seen more than one billion times, and the announcement generated more than 55 million media impressions globally. The campaign won the Outdoor Grand Prix at Spikes Asia 2022.
Why it worked
- It inverts sponsorship logic: instead of buying attention, it buys a position whose visibility syncs to the emotional payoff — the brand appears exactly when its claim matters.
- The pun in 'Pitvertising' turned the mechanism into earned media — news, blogs and radio covered the idea itself.
- The placement doubles as proof of the claim: an umpire keeping his cool in a high-pressure call is the product demo in real time.
What can be applied
Instead of buying space that competes for attention, buy a position that is only visible when the emotional payoff peaks — the moment itself becomes the message.
Aftermath
After the 2020–21 Big Bash League, other sporting codes explored similar under-pressure placement opportunities. The campaign won the Outdoor Grand Prix at Spikes Asia 2022. Unilever has not published sales lift figures for the initiative.
Sources
- Spikes Asia Grands Prix and Special Award Winners Announced
- Rexona Clinical owned summer with 'Pitvertising' – the game changing BBL sponsorship via Clemenger BBDO Sydney
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