BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Maytag® has selected Clay Jackson of Richmond, Va., as the next Maytag Repairman, portraying the storied advertising and marketing icon that’s represented the equipment brand since 1967.
Jackson, at 33, becomes only the fourth person to play the role. And he sports a new uniform and a new attitude reflective of Maytag’s intent to revitalize the 100-year-old brand.
Jackson, who was introduced in his new role on Monday, acted professionally for a few years after graduating college in North Carolina. He decided to try out “on a whim” and attended an open audition in New York, focusing on bringing “something humorous and unexpected” to the character. Maytag’s nationwide search consisted of mail-in submissions, union casting calls and open auditions in major U.S. cities.
“The opportunity to combine my love of acting with being a spokesperson for the Maytag brand was something I couldn’t ignore,” explains Jackson, who has been selling real estate for his family’s agency for the last several years.
The Maytag Repairman role is a full-time position that includes multiple national television, radio, print and public appearances. Starting in May, Jackson will appear in the new Maytag brand advertising campaign and begin making appearances across North America.
Don’t expect to see your father’s Ol’ Lonely®.
“The new Maytag Repairman will help revitalize the Maytag brand and its heritage by keeping one foot in our past while putting the other in our future,” says Jeff Davidoff, vice president, brand marketing and communications, Maytag. “Clay is perfect for our new take on the role. He’s energetic, young-at-heart and outgoing while still being dependable and reliable.”
Jackson succeeds Jesse White (1967-88), Gordon Jump (1988-2003) and Hardy Rawls (2003-2007).
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