Gillette unveils global partnership with EA Sports

Gillette, the grooming brand with a big local presence, said it will team up with EA Sports, a sports interactive entertainment brand, to market to male consumers between the ages of 18 and 34, a key demographic for both brands.

Tiger Woods (above), the golf star who endorses Gillette razors, was on hand for the announcement of the partnership, the two brands said.

The partnership aims to create a variety of co-promotional marketing opportunities focused on similar male consumers around the world, and the partnership also seeks to "leverage the Xbox 360 LIVE and EA SPORTS in-game environments," Gillette and EA Sports said.

“We’ll be working together to reach consumers with unique programs such as the Gillette-EA Sports Champions of Gaming, a global tournament that will offer gamers the opportunity to compete against the best in the world and then take on the Gillette Champions and other sports legends to see if they have what it takes to be the best,” Peter Clay, vice president of Gillette Grooming, said in a statement.

The live global finals will be conducted in Tampa, Fla., in January, with the Global Champions in each gaming category competing against one of the Gillette Champions - Gillette’s group of global sports superstars that includes Woods, tennis player Roger Federer, and baseball's Derek Jeter, the two brands said.

The Gillette brand is now owned by Procter & Gamble Co. of Ohio, and EA Sports is a label of Electronic Arts Inc. of California.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)