Hard Rock Bet has released Rival Rinse, a limited-edition collection of football-shaped soaps for fans who temporarily cheer for a rival team because of a wager.
The company created the campaign in partnership with 72andSunny New York.
According to Hard Rock Bet, the product gives fans a way to celebrate a winning bet, clean off the sense of guilt, and resume support for their own team by Monday morning.
Hard Rock Bet said the concept grew out of its $2 Million NFL Survivor Contest, a free-to-enter competition for eligible players in Florida that launched on Sunday for Week 4.
Participants must pick one team to win each week, and they cannot use that team again. Under this format, entrants can face a choice between backing a bitter rival and risking elimination. The company said it designed Rival Rinse for that situation.
“I played for Dallas, so believe me, I know rivalries, and there are some teams you just do not root for,” said Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, who serves as a Hard Rock Bet ambassador.
“But sometimes a bet or a Survivor pick puts you in a tough spot. Make the smart pick, get the win, and let Rival Rinse wash away the betrayal. Then get back to where your loyalty belongs,” Irvin said.
Each soap in the collection carries a fragrance based on a football city and its local character. The scents include:
- Miami Spice: Cafecito with hints of Havana winds
- Tampa Bathe: Oak cask with hints of swashbuckling
- DUUUVALATHER: Tropical citrus with hints of saltwater breeze
- Sudway: New York slice with hints of bodega
- Brotherly Scrub: Philly cheesesteak with hints of liberty
- America’s Clean: Smoky mesquite with hints of rodeo
Fans can purchase the soaps at HardRock.bet/Rival-Rinse/ in limited quantities while supplies last.
Lauren Varnas, Vice President of Brand Marketing at Hard Rock Digital, said the campaign addresses fans who end up cheering for a team they would not normally support because they have money on the game.
“Football fans sometimes find themselves in the uncomfortable position of rooting for a team they’d normally never support because there’s something riding on the game,” Varnas said. “Rival Rinse is a fun way to embrace that tension. Make the pick, celebrate the win, and then wash off the rival stink so you can get back to rooting for the team you actually love.“
“With Rival Rinse, we wanted to acknowledge a tough bettor truth, which is, sometimes you have to root against your favorite team,” said Geno Burmester, Group Creative Director at 72andSunny New York.
Burmester added: “So what better way to get rid of that feeling of betrayal than by physically washing it away with a unique scent that reminds you of your true fandom? That contradiction became the inspiration, and we’re grateful to Hard Rock Bet for being such a great partner in bringing this idea to life and going all-in on making actual soaps that give fans something tangible to enjoy. It’s not every day you get to make a soap that smells like Philly Cheesesteak, and we are grateful for that opportunity.”
Hard Rock Bet will support the campaign with a new launch film that pokes fun at the serious tone of high-end fragrance commercials.
In the film, a fan celebrates a winning bet but then realizes which team he just rooted for. Rival Rinse then appears in the spot, and the ad presents it as the only soap made to remove the smell of betrayal and restore the fan’s natural team loyalty.