THE 58 YEAR OLD ROOKIE

Opella - Aspercreme - The 58 Year Old Freshman (Case Study) | Campaign Older adults are routinely sidelined in culture, especially when it comes to sports. This is exclusively the case in American college football, an enormous $14 billion industry built around the best 18- to 22-year-old players in the country. They aren’t quite professionals yet, but they are treated like them: Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals allow college athletes to earn money from their personal brand, and fans can’t get enough of it. Aspercreme, a pain relief brand for arthritic 55+ year-olds, would be the last brand you’d expect to jump into this college football frenzy. But as the #7 pain reliever – competing against brands with far greater fame and budgets like Tylenol, Icy Hot, and Biofreeze – playing it safe wasn’t an option. Enter, the perfect partner: 58-year-old college freshman Tom Cillo. Yes, you read that right. Not only did Cillo go back to school at 58, but he also joined the football team, facing off against players three decades younger than him. And he did it at the toughest, most painful position possible: defensive line. Within days of discovering him, Aspercreme signed Tom to a historic NIL sponsorship deal, making him the oldest ever player to receive one. The New York Times immediately called it “the most clever NIL deal of the season.” But this wasn’t just a one-off signing. Because Aspercreme was so quick and authentic in forming the partnership, the brand became an indispensable part of Tom’s story all season long. We quickly made “58 Years. 0 Quit.” our rallying cry and executed a fully integrated campaign in a matter of days to keep the earned pickup coming. Billboards, full-page print ads, custom product, pre-game outfits, interviews, social content – giving Tom the same treatment any superstar athlete would get in a brand campaign, and proving to fans that it’s never too late to follow your dreams. Credits: - Client: Opella - Aspercreme - Advertising Agency: The Martin Agency - Holding Company: Omnicom - Production Company: SuperJoy - Media Agency: Havas Media