King of Shaves hires John Ayling

John Ayling & Associates has been appointed to handle media planning and buying for men’s shaving and skincare brand King of Shaves (KoS).

The agency’s first task will be the new “To Be A King” ad starring England and Chelsea footballer John Terry, who was signed to be the new face of the brand in a two-year, seven-figure deal six weeks ago (MW April 27).

The first ad featuring Terry, created by Big Communications, will break on www.be-a-king.com at 9am tomorrow (Friday), the first day of the World Cup. It will appear on terrestrial and satellite networks, and in cinemas. There will also be press and an online game, John Terry King of Defenders (www.kingofdefenders.com).

Ads using the same strapline are already running, but feature an unknown actor instead.

The brand is second in the UK’s pre-shave market, behind Procter & Gamble’s Gillette, and is third in the UK skincare market behind Beiersdorf’s Nivea and L’Oreal Paris’s Men Expert, according to research company Euromonitor. There is also industry speculation that the new ads may feature the first KoS razor.

In the autumn, KoS is expected to launch a new men’s toiletries and skincare range, K5, which the company plans to market as being perfect for use with Gillette’s new five-bladed razor, the Fusion.