CARRIE GRANDITS, GROUP ACCOUNT DIRECTOR
Speedo is the world’s number one swimwear brand. It’s worn by top Olympians, aspiring Olympians and is a trusted, quality brand that mom buys for the whole family. People really haven’t thought of the brand as fashionable or sexy or cool…for quite some time. In fact, most people would hear the word Speedo and immediately picture the classic brief. (By the way, the brief is less than one percent overall sales.) FWV and Speedo teamed up to shed that image and change the way people perceive the brand. We’re keeping Speedo’s core fan base AND attracting new audiences.
The formula was simple – Speedo came up with a hot new line called Axcelerate; FWV helped identify the PR value of sexy Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard as a spokesperson; we started getting the word out about the ‘new Speedo’ and put product into the hands of top fashion editors and stylists. The common response was “That’s Speedo? I never knew they had such cool stuff!” As a result of the brand’s new look and a major PR push, we started seeing more and more placements in top fashion magazines – Vogue, Glamour, Cosmo, Marie Claire, WWD and InStyle, among many others – magazines that we had to drag to the showroom in years prior to even just peek at the line. Now they were taking notice and we were appearing in all the major fashion swim issues!
Amanda Beard also added a whole new dimension as the face of Axcelerate. Besides being a top Olympian, she was the perfect fit for the new brand – sexy, sporty, smart, fun and had a love of fashion. The media and consumers responded to her and her association with the Axcelerate brand. A sampling of the high-profile placements and activities that FWV has been involved with on behalf of Speedo include:
‘Behind the Scenes’ Speedo photo shoot segments featuring Amanda aired on “Extra,” “ET” and “The Insider”
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Feature stories and interviews in the top fashion industry publication, WWD
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Centerfold of Amanda wearing Speedo in the famed Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue
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Amanda was recently a red carpet correspondent on behalf of Lion’s Gate films and Speedo for Terrence Howard’s “Pride” movie (Speedo designed suits exclusively for the film)
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High-profile launch parties for the Axcelerate line hosted by Amanda in NY, Miami and LA
