Your morning may seem like a regular start, but you never know what the day will bring. That's the message of personal care brand Harry's new US campaign, which suggests that one sniff of their products can become a lifelong companion.
“The Sniff,” created by New York's Uncommon Creative Studio, is a 30-second film about a man who starts his day by showering with Harry's body wash and applying the brand's deodorant, then while standing on the subway, a nearby woman smells him, and fireworks begin.
She will continue to enjoy his smell as she gets married, has children, buys a house, grows old together, and eventually passes away and is buried next to gravestones bearing inscriptions such as “She loved his smell” and “He smelled amazing.” The ad urges consumers to “Wake up to a life-changing scent.”
The characters in the ads resemble non-player characters (NPCs) in video games as a way to connect with young people who have an affinity for gaming. The campaign aims to stand out in a field that has historically been anchored in an image of perfection.
“What's missing in the category is the unique combination of NPCs and death in video games,” Uncommon New York chief creative officer Sam Shepard said in a statement.
The spot will air on streaming and company channels.
“We wanted to be in places where our customers spend their time and attention, and we wanted to create a format that would allow us to instill the essence of Harry's while still allowing for a flexible mix of brand, product and culture,” Uncommon managing director Jill Ong told ADWEEK. “We're calling it the Hurricane, a fast-moving creative that infuses our 'Wake Up to Harry's' brand strategy. We'll continue to take this approach across a range of products and brand spots.”
Harry's has sought to differentiate itself from the masculine marketing that is common among grooming brands.
Last year, the brand ran an ad in the UK through London-based ad agency The All, which focused on the power of making men feel good through the quirky story of a confident man peeling an orange during a meeting, and was named one of the best ads of 2023 by ADWEEK magazine.
credit:
Agency: Uncommon Creative Studios
Production company: Blinking
Director: James Papper
Producer: Sebastian Jowers
Music and Sound Design: Major Tom
Rating: Andy Chu @ Electric Theatre Collective
Post-production: Saurus Animation
