Have Dove made the strangest sponsorship story of the year?

In a sports marketing first, Dove Advanced Care Antiperspirant will take the court at the 2025 US Open as the tournament’s Official Underarm Sponsor. Yep, you read that right. But beyond the headline-grabbing novelty of the sponsorship is a calculated brand play that links Dove’s long-running “Real Beauty” platform with one of the most visible stages in tennis.

The activation centres on a nationwide casting call to find an Underarm Ambassador, a charismatic fan who will attend the US Open as Dove’s on-the-ground creator. The deal is structured as a “N.U.L.” agreement (Name, Underarm, Likeness) a cheeky nod to the Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) rights movement in US college sport. The numbers are modest compared with top-tier sports deals, but the assets are pointed.