Always Discreet’s NFL Partnership and the ‘Protect the Moment’ Campaign
Procter & Gamble’s Always Discreet has become the National Football League’s first official bladder leak partner, marking the move with the largest campaign in the brand’s 12-year history. Dubbed ‘Protect the Moment,’ the initiative stars three real moms of current major-market NFL players—Elisha Jarrett (mother of Grady Jarrett, Chicago Bears), Angela Burns (mother of Brian Burns, New York Giants), and Katie DeJean (mother of Cooper DeJean, Philadelphia Eagles). A 30-second spot shot from the stadium stands shows one mother reassuring another that she no longer misses a single play thanks to the product.
Melissa Suk, P&G’s vice president for North America adult incontinence, said the partnership followed a simple consumer truth: nearly half of women who use incontinence products watch the NFL, the most-watched sporting event among that demographic. With roughly half of the league’s total viewership being female, game-day situations—from cheering to waiting for bathroom breaks—can become genuine anxiety triggers. The brand’s goal is to reframe those moments as manageable and normal.
The push spans linear TV, streaming platforms, social media and digital channels, heavily targeting women aged 45 and older. National ads will air during prime-time NFL games, and on-site activations including tailgating experiences are planned. Always Discreet joins a growing roster of P&G brands already allied with the league, including Gillette, Head & Shoulders, Tide, and Vicks, and will participate in multi-brand programs alongside the NFL.
Why the NFL Deal Represents a Strategic Shift for Incontinence Marketing
Demographic Precision: Following the Female NFL Fan
Always Discreet’s decision to embed itself in NFL fandom is less about the sport itself and more about audience overlap. Suk’s stated figure—that nearly 50% of female incontinence consumers follow the NFL—turns a demographic observation into a media-buying signal. Instead of waiting for consumers to seek out the category, the campaign deliberately inserts itself into an environment where those women already spend emotional energy. The creative choice to use mothers of actual players, not actors, reinforces authenticity and sidesteps the clinical tone that has historically defined incontinence advertising.
Competitive Dynamics in the Incontinence Space
Always Discreet’s NFL deal arrives amid heightened competition. Kimberly-Clark’s Poise has leaned on actress Katherine Heigl as a visible spokesperson for years, while North Shore Adult Diapers recently launched its own sports-adjacent push through local Major League Baseball radio sponsorships. Savvy marketers recognize that first-mover advantage in a sensitive category can translate into disproportionate share of mind. By tying itself to the NFL—a league that commands massive, consistent cross-generational female audiences—Always Discreet is staking a claim that would be expensive and logistically difficult for rivals to replicate quickly.
Normalizing Bladder Leaks Through Real Women and Real Moments
The campaign’s messaging centers on reframing bladder leaks as a common, manageable reality rather than a shameful secret. Suk noted that 60% of women across all ages experience them, and the ad’s candid stadium conversation models exactly the kind of peer reassurance the brand hopes will spread. The choice of gameday—a high-emotion, high-physical-activity setting—functions as a stress test for the product’s promise. If a product can perform in those conditions, the reasoning goes, everyday confidence follows naturally.
Actionable Lessons for Marketers from the Always Discreet-NFL Campaign
- Identify and follow your consumer’s passion point. Suk explicitly said the brand followed its consumer to a space she already cared about. For Almost Discreet, that was NFL fandom; for any marketer, it means finding where the audience is emotionally invested, not just where they are demographically.
- Leverage user-generated credibility over scripted testimonials. Casting real NFL moms—actual midlife women with genuine connections to the league—creates instant trust. The authenticity is harder for competitors to imitate than a celebrity endorsement.
- Use event-specific triggers to demonstrate product utility. Cheering, standing, and delaying bathroom breaks all become product-test moments in a stadium. Framing everyday challenges within a high-stakes live event makes the benefit tangible to the 60% of women the brand says experience bladder leaks.
- Embed the brand within an existing ecosystem. Always Discreet didn’t just buy ad time; it integrated into the NFL’s multi-brand partnership structure, which opens doors to cross-promotional reach and reinforces the message across the P&G portfolio—from Tide to Gillette.
Risk & Opportunity Assessment
| Commercial Risk | Medium | The campaign is a significant financial bet as Always Discreet’s largest ever, targeting a specific but high-potential segment; if the creative falls flat or the audience rejects the tone, the brand loses ground to competitors like Poise and North Shore, which are also pursuing sports-adjacent strategies. |
| Competitive Risk | Medium | Kimberly-Clark’s Poise has a multi-year celebrity endorsement, and North Shore is experimenting with MLB radio sponsorships. While the NFL partnership provides a barrier, it doesn’t eliminate the threat of competitors finding their own major-league platforms or leveraging more cost-effective digital channels. |
| Regulatory Risk | Low | No direct regulatory hurdles are present; incontinence products are not pharmaceutical and face standard advertising oversight. The campaign avoids medical claims and focuses on lifestyle confidence. |
| Reputation Risk | Low | By grounding the campaign in real mothers and normalizing a widespread but stigmatized condition, the brand is actively building a supportive reputation. However, any misstep in tone—appearing flippant or exploitative—could backfire, though current execution appears deliberately empathetic. |
| Technology Disruption | Low | No emerging technology threatens the product category. Improvements in absorbent materials are incremental, and the campaign’s value lies in emotional connection rather than a tech race. |
| Commercial Opportunity | High | With 60% of women experiencing bladder leaks and nearly half of female incontinence consumers watching the NFL, the campaign taps a large, underserved audience in a setting ripe for product demonstration. Normalizing the conversation could expand category participation and cement Always Discreet as the category leader associated with major sports. |
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