*******
We’re (okay, I’m) pretty fascinated with the icons of the American home. See my articles on American Standard, on John Deere, on Bob Vila and on. And when I received this release, I knew instantly that I had to give it a few lines.
The Maytag Repairman Becomes Maytag Man
On January 9th, Maytag released their latest marketing campaign. It, in whole, is centered around an updated, new look Maytag Repairman. Ol’ Lonely as the character was dubbed (and I never knew his name), first appeared in 1967. He was the embodiment of, well, futility. The forsaken repairman assigned to work on the always durable and overly reliable Maytag appliance.
By my count, this is the 6th actor (across Canada and the US) to play the role for the company. (The most recognizable – arguably Gordon Jump of WKRP in Cincinnati fame and pictured at right via Wikipedia.)
But wait!
The newest iteration marks a sorta evolution of the role. In this latest run, the character acts as the appliances themselves. While the iconic blue suit and hat remain, he drops the “Repair” part of his moniker. In true superhero form, he becomes only “Maytag Man.”
Maytag Man – From lonely repairman to dependable machine.
According to the company, “The shiny new Maytag Man has an entirely new purpose. He is the machine, diligently performing the tasks that an appliance performs.”
New videos have him nestled in the kitchen baking a turkey, potatoes, and mini cupcakes as a large-capacity double oven. Under the counter, he appears as a dishwasher, cutting through hard-to-scrub grease. He eliminates tough stains in the laundry becoming one with Maytag brand’s PowerWash® high efficiency system.
Maytag Man’s Genes
The character’s matter-of-fact helpfulness, humorous quips and dependable, machine-like behavior aims to depict Maytag’s key attributes of durability, reliability, and power.
“No longer is our brand character sitting idle, lamenting his boredom due to Maytag brand’s legendary inability to breakdown,” said William Beck, Senior Director of Whirlpool, Maytag, Value Brands & Channel Marketing. “The Maytag Man is a creative interpretation of our motto, ‘What’s Inside Matters®.”
By transforming the brand’s icon, Maytag seeks to provide a voice for the unsung heroes of every family.
The Maytag Man Campaign
The Maytag Man will be featured in four national television ads airing March 3.
Launching January 13, a new Twitter presence, @TheMaytagMan debuts. An online voice for the machine. The Maytag Man will be tackling tasks across the country, popping up in select cities this winter and spring, interacting with fans via the brand’s Facebook page, and reaching stores nationwide in June 2014.
For more information on the Maytag Man and all of Maytag brand’s appliances, visit www.maytag.com.
For more from us on the Media and/or Appliances, access those categories there.