NFL fans are accustomed to seeing ads for beer, trucks and whatever lame weeknight sitcom each network wants to promote.
Now, we can add lube to the list.
A reader from Los Angeles informed Outsports he saw an ad for Boy Butter lubricant during last week’s “Thursday Night Football” replay on NFL Network. He says it aired with :50 left in the first half.
Boy Butter founder Eyal Feldman confirmed to Outsports he purchases spots on the largest cable providers in major metro regions, including LA. For years, Boy Butter exclusively advertised on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Then the pandemic hit, and Feldman thought about remaking his ad strategy.
With more people at home, Feldman started expanding to other gay staples, including the Housewives franchise. But as a longtime athlete, Feldman became curious about stretching the Boy Butter brand beyond Bravo and Logo, and onto the sports channels.
Scary!
“I thought, ‘I’m staying in my lane.’ I’m a gay thing, I’m trying to attract a gay audience,’” Feldman told Outsports. “But then I thought, ‘Nobody has run a gay ad on ESPN before. Why don’t we do that?’”
Last summer, ESPN viewers said hello to the Men of Malibu.
The commercial, a flashback to those sexy black-and-white fashion ad campaigns from the ‘90s, celebrates masculinity in all of its beauty. You can smell the musk emanating from the actors’ glistening bodies, as they chase each other up the shoreline.
Eventually, they turn towards each other, and get ready to lock tongues.
Good thing they brought their Boy Butter.
“In my opinion, sexy is sexy, no matter what. People have responded well to it,” said Feldman.
In fact, Feldman says he’s only received one complaint since he started advertising on ESPN. That’s not for lack of a presence: Boy Butter runs ads on “SportsCenter,” UFC Fight Nights, boxing, basketball and other programming.
Most recently, the spot aired during ESPN’s US Open coverage, which attracted record numbers of viewers.
Credit ESPN, and other cable networks, for showing the ads in all of their gay glory. Just five years ago, Comcast banned a Boy Butter ad from airing in Chicago. Apparently, it was too gay for Boystown.
Heading into 2023, Feldman is ecstatic about the state of his company. He says Boy Butter is coming out with a new sultry ad next year.
What a treat for football fans.
“People love gays. People love gay sex,” said Feldman. “If it’s presented properly, sexy is sexy.”
