The leaves are changing. The air is getting colder. It gets dark a little earlier every day. And a coffee mug with plenty of creamy Hellmann’s mayonnaise.
It’s soccer weather.
Long before rookie Will Levis became the quarterback of the future for the Tennessee Titans, he was the guy who drank coffee with mayonnaise. Now he enjoys being both. Back in August, Levi’s signed a lifetime sponsorship deal with Hellmann’s, America’s largest mayonnaise brand, to become the condiment’s athletic spokesperson. Hellman’s announced the partnership at a fake press conference, during which Levi proudly claimed to represent Mayo Mocha, drank a specialty drink, and even ate a muffin topped with mayonnaise, just in case.
“It’s hard to explain in words, but people love to talk about him,” said Chris Simms, director of marketing for Hellmann’s. “He has a charisma that you don’t often see in athletes. He’s obviously very comfortable in front of the camera. He likes to have fun. He’s obviously a very talented athlete. And people loves to talk about him. He’s certainly the kind of thing that makes people want to talk about him. ”
The story behind Will Levi’s lifelong support of mayonnaise
Levi has been attracting attention as a potential spokesperson since Hellman’s cooking habits began making headlines on social media when he was still a student at the University of Kentucky. In addition to his coffee experiments, he also became famous for eating things like bananas and peels. The stunt was just that: a stunt.He has since said that he is not actually He’s accustomed to putting mayonnaise in his coffee (he’s a one-cream, one-sugar person), but he knows that gimmicks get attention and get people talking.
Brands salivate at the value of charismatic athletes who are good at doing stupid things. In February, Hellmann’s sent Levi’s a care package complete with the brand’s signature Letterman’s jacket and bucket hat, as well as a panini maker and recipes. Still, in the process of preparing for the NFL Draft with a cadre of ambitious quarterbacks, Levis said the care package would provide roughly a week’s worth of meals for himself, Max Duggan, Clayton Thune and Dorian Thompson-Robinson. was said to have been provided.
Levi expressed his gratitude to Hellmann’s on TikTok. Sims’ courtship only intensified from there, culminating in her press conference ad in August.
“I think there’s always this question of, ‘Mayonnaise and coffee, that’s a little special,'” Sims said. “But that wasn’t really the goal. A key part of the problem was how Hellmann’s could be used as a versatile material.”
Versatile for Will Levis and Nashville
Ahead of Levi’s NFL debut in October, Hellman’s is partnering with Humphreys Street, a two-store South Nashville nonprofit coffee shop, to offer mayo mochas to curious Titans fans with adventurous palates. did. Baristas at Humphreys Street raced to perfect the recipe, and after several iterations of creating and taste-testing the drink, they arrived at a concoction that is said to have the taste of brownie batter or chocolate ganache.
The drink was only supposed to be available from October 25th to October 31st, but thanks to Levi’s four-touchdown debut, Hann, a company that provides job training to teenagers, has been featured in national media outlets like Axios and Buzzfeed. Positive press coverage of Freeze Street’s business model. In fact, customers liked the product so much that Mayo Mocha came back on his menu twice.
“Personally, I think it’s best to do a blind taste test without the customer knowing,” said Camille Cannada, senior director of development at Harvest Hands CDC, Humphreys Street’s nonprofit arm. Good job,” he said. “Because I don’t think they knew.”
For enterprising roasters, Hellman’s recipe for home mayo mocha is easy to recreate.
- Pour 1 1/4 cups hot milk into a bowl and whisk vigorously until frothy, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Pour two hot espresso shots into a separate bowl. Whisk 1 tablespoon of Hellmann’s REAL mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon of chocolate- or mocha-flavored syrup until smooth and well-combined.
- Pour into a large coffee mug and top with frothed milk. Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.
“That must be mayonnaise.”
As part of the sponsorship deal, Levi’s will receive a “lifetime supply” of Hellmann’s products. According to Hellmans, the average consumer uses three 30-ounce jars a year. Because Levi’s passion for the product exceeds that of the average consumer, Hellmann’s starts with six jars a year and can always request more if they run out.
Levi’s is already shipping the second time.
After Levis threw for 238 yards and four touchdowns in his NFL debut, Titans fans online began uniting with chants of “It must be mayonnaise.” Sims jokes that he didn’t coin the term, but he supports the idea.
Hellmann’s could not comment on whether more projects with Levi’s are planned or how the partnership has contributed to sales or increased visibility. But Sims says the goal is to get people to use more mayonnaise, and part of the plan is to target tailgating and Super Bowl party organizers.
“As a marketer, it’s great to have athletes and celebrities who are so passionate about doing something fun,” Sims said. “I think that was obvious before he even joined the NFL or the Titans. So I think that gives us a lot of freedom in thinking about how to work with him as we think about the future.” Considering his desire to just have fun doing things, it’s fun to see all the different ideas that come to mind. ”
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick: nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on the X Platform, formerly known as Twitter, at @nickusss.