James Harden wants you to be Weirdly Awesome. Or even #BeardlyAwesome.
The Houston Rockets shooting guard has partnered up with Ferrara Candy Co.'s sour gummi brand Trolli to continue the brand's Weirdly Awesome campaign.
And weirdly awesome it is.
Most notable is Trolli's new TV spot, called "Inside inside inside James Harden's head." In it, Harden shuns the game day notion of getting into a player's head.
"You think you can get inside James Harden's head?" He demands.
"My head's a fortress," says a smaller Harden, popping out his head and proceeding to shoot laser beams out of his eyes. And before you know it, both Harden and Trolli are in your head.
But that's not all. Harden's involvement in the Weirdly Awesome campaign will continue throughout 2016, from letting Sour Brite Crawlers get in his head in the TV spot to creating engaging digital and social content and inspiring a new Sour Brite gummi based on his iconic beard.
"James Harden truly embodies what we celebrate and admire at Trolli, celebrating self-expression, unique style and having fun. From his iconic beard, to his crazy faces and his signature dance moves... everything about James is Weirdly Awesome," says Jill Manchester, s.v.p. marketing and brand strategy, Ferrara Candy Co. "He's the perfect ambassador to inject a little of the unordinary into our consumers' day-to-day lives. In fact, we've coined the term Beardly Awesome as a nod to our partnership with James."
The partnership kicks off with an arsenal of content developed for digital and social platforms as well as TV.
The launch of #BeardlyAwesome social content began with a special press conference given by the beard itself, which is accessible on Trolli's Facebook, Twitter (@Trolli_USA) and Tumblr channels.
A "never-ending Harden beard" will take over Trolli's Instagram, while The Beard itself will respond directly to any tweets using #BeardlyAwesome. It will also take live questions via Trolli's SnapChat.
The Beard also plays a role in new product development. It's inspired the new Trolli Sour Brite Weird Beards, where Harden's face and iconic beard are brought to life in Trolli's bright colors and flavor combinations.
"I'm truly honored to be Trolli's new Weirdly Awesome ambassador," says Harden. "I'm a long-time fan of Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers and the Weirdly Awesome campaign because it represents my own approach to life. Trolli's unique. I'm unique. We both like to push the envelope and be creative. That's why we work well together."