Procter & Gamble's adult incontinence brand Always Discreet has partnered with the NFL. The "Protect the Moment" campaign is the biggest media activation the brand has launched since its 2014 debut.
The effort spans national TV, digital advertising, social content, retailer integrations, and experiential activations, with mothers of NFL players at the center.
A 30-second hero spot features Elisha Jarrett and Katie DeJean — mothers of Chicago Bears player Grady Jarrett and Philadelphia Eagles star Cooper DeJean — discussing Always Discreet products with a third woman who experiences a bladder leak while cheering at a game. The ad explains how the products' RapidDry core works and compares it to Poise, a Kimberly-Clark brand.
Ads run during select primetime NFL games beginning in the pre-season, with game-day activations and tailgating experiences on site. Social content adds Angela Burns, mother of New York Giants linebacker Brian Burns, discussing how bladder leaks do not stop them from cheering for their sons.
The campaign was developed for P&G by the NFL, with Grey on creative, Mktg on talent and partnerships, Futura on social, and PGOne's MSL on PR.
According to Melissa Suk, vice president, North America for adult incontinence at P&G, nearly half of female adult incontinence product users watch the NFL — the most-watched sport among the brand's core demographic.
Suk's own framing captures the strategy: "We were incredibly intentional in a shift in strategy here to drive normalization through two things: One is making sure that we really show up where [our consumer] is at, versus expecting her to find us in conversations that have a lot of stigma attached. Second, we wanted to make sure we approached it in a very real, authentic and positive way, which is why having the NFL moms be the core of all of our creative content was a must."
Per a study cited by the brand, 60% of women aged 45 and older experience bladder leaks. The stigma persists anyway — the same kind sister brand Always and its competitors have worked to address in menstrual hygiene.
The key judgment: channel choice is the message. Staying inside category-specific media and search ads preserves a sell-to-people-already-looking model. Dismantling stigma requires appearing in front of people who are not searching the category at all. As with brands that performed at the World Cup, sports broadcasts function as destigmatization channels.
Other P&G brands like Tide and Gillette have been long-term league sponsors, but the Always Discreet partnership acknowledges the changing face of NFL fandom. P&G also deepened its WNBA relationship this year through a multiyear sponsorship covering Mielle, Secret, Olay, Downy, and Tampax.
P&G's organic sales rose 1% in fiscal year 2026 and were flat in Q4. The company continues increasing media and ad spend while working to improve its effectiveness. CFO Andre Schulten said on the earnings call: "We maintain full support to the brands, but we can be more selective on the tools, the platforms and therefore, the spend levels that we will apply."
Audience data justifies channel strategy in stigmatized categories. One statistic — half of users watch the NFL — carried a major sports investment.
Who speaks determines whether the message lands. Casting players' mothers rather than experts or models reframes the category from a problem to hide into a situation anyone might have.
Spending more and spending narrower happen together. P&G's direction is not smaller budgets but fewer tools and platforms.
In stigmatized categories, inbound-only marketing hits a hard ceiling. Always Discreet is trying to break through it with channel selection.
An Always Discreet campaign with the NFL featuring mothers of NFL players, aimed at normalizing incontinence. It is the brand's biggest media activation since launching in 2014.
Nearly half of female adult incontinence product users watch the NFL, which P&G says is the most-watched sport among the brand's core demographic.
Per a study cited by the brand, 60% of women aged 45 and older experience bladder leaks.
Channel choice functions as the message. Reaching only people who search the category preserves the stigma; showing up where non-searchers already are is what starts normalization.
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