John and Marlena in extended Tide NFL commercial
Credit: Image: Tide

Days stars in full circle cross-over for Tide and the NFL.

You may have already seen Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn’s fun cameo in the Tide NFL commercial featuring the Baltimore Ravens’ Mark Ingram Jr. and football icon Peyton Manning. It’s part of a larger campaign that includes the NBC series Superstore, singer Gwen Stefani and actor Kenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live) as they debate which night should be laundry night. If you were watching TV while doing your own laundry on September 23, you may have seen the Days of our Lives stars in an expanded role for their Tide NFL spot. Soaps.com recently talked to the pair about Marlena Evans and John Black’s love story, but we also chatted about their involvement in the entertaining commercial.

In the extended commercial, Hall and Hogestyn spoof a familiar soap opera scenario when Marlena discovers what John has been hiding from her. But instead of confronting him about an affair, Hall set up, “It’s me discovering surprisingly clean clothes in our drawers.” Marlena calls him a traitor as she accuses him of doing laundry on the weekdays, “During our show so you can watch football on Sundays.” He apologizes and asks her to use Tide with him on Sunday. She agrees, “But only if you keep our show laundry free.” He proclaims, “The NFL could never tear us apart!”

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Hall immediately agreed to the commercial when her agent and NBC called with the offer. “We don’t always get a chance to do crossovers,” she said. “It was a lovely opportunity and satisfying to be chosen for it.” Similarly, Hogestyn called it an honor to represent the network. “It was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ The best part was they came to us and filmed it on our stage. It was amazing. It was the best job,” he enthused. “Dee and I just went and played. It was all about Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!”

Hogestyn was also quick to point out the full circle-ness of their being in the Tide ad, expressing surprise at how many people he meets don’t realize how soap operas got their name. As the shows were originally geared towards housewives, many of the products advertised during them involved soap – laundry, bar, etc. – therefore they were dubbed soap operas. Proctor & Gamble, who owns Tide, was one of the first companies to sponsor daytime dramas beginning on radio and went on to produce their own series that included Guiding Light and As the World Turns.

As for whether or not they are football fans themselves, Hall admitted she’s not an avid sports fan in general. However, she did have one memorable football moment involving a long-ago birthday for her son who was a huge Green Bay Packers fan. “We flew back to Wisconsin and got to run out with the team,” she recalled. “It was beyond. I think he wept when I gave him his birthday present. He was out of his mind.”

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A former professional athlete and football fan, Hogestyn (who played baseball) declared, “As I’m getting older now I’m rooting for guys at the tail end of their talent cycle.” Pointing to players like the New Orleans Saints’ Drew Brees, New York Giants’ Eli Manning, and Pittsburg Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger, he said, “I’m like, “Come on, you still got a couple of seasons left in you.”

What night do you do laundry? Join the debate on social media by using #LaundryNight and let them know which night you do yours!

Video: Tide/YouTube