Almost-obscenities are having a good run in ads this month. First, we had Kmart's "Ship My Pants" spot, which has made millions of people laugh like 9-year-olds. Now, it's Philips Norelco's turn—with a campaign themed "I'd FAQ me."
A pair of spots show hirsute fellows using Philips Norelco's electric razors to do a little manscaping—trimming back the weeds both up there and down there. With each clip and shave, the guys remark on how attractive they're becoming by suggesting what they'd do to themselves if they were an admirer.
"I'd wink at me," says one guy. "I'd pop a bottle with me. I would share a shawarma with me. … I'd snuggle up with me. I'd invite me up to watch a movie. I'd have a wine with me." At the end, he concludes: "I'd FAQ me," with the middle word, a good sound-alike for the F-bomb, silenced—and his mouth pixellated.
The spots lead to an impressive website, idFAQme.com, which invites you to scroll down the length of a dude's body, with pointed product benefits listed all the way down.
Ogilvy creative director Zach Korman says the campaign isn't so much about being provocative as being honest about how young guys in the target market think about themselves and their looks. "We all have little rituals and stories we play out in our heads," he says. "With more confidence, more possibilities open up in life. Those 'possibilities' just generally end up in the same place more often than not."
The "FAQ" idea didn't come out of nowhere. "We had an assignment to both showcase a new product launch as well as convince guys that the electric category would be worth considering," says Korman. "So what's the most recognizable fact-delivery convention online? Obviously, that'd be an FAQ—but through the lens of our campaign, of course. Which meant less body copy and more body shots."
The website is intended to wow a segment that's used to plenty of bells and whistles online. "I don't think anyone would expect a 360-3D-nose-to-tail-shaving-hair-test-drive," says Korman. He adds that he doesn't expect the campaign to stir up any negative controversy. "In television, film and advertising, we're seeing some of the boundaries of tone and language extend a bit further every day," he says. "I don't think we're saying anything that isn't already out there in the ether."
CREDITS
Client - Philips Norelco
Agency - Ogilvy & Mather, New York
Creative:
Calle Sjoenell - Chief Creative Officer
Jason Marks - Executive Creative Director
Zach Korman - Creative Director
Tom Elia - Creative Director
Lukas Lund - Art Director
Andreas Hoff - Art Director
Mikio Bradley - Copywriter
Brad Warsh - Art Director
Annie Wong, Senior Information Architect
Account:
Matt Dowshen - Managing Director
Jennifer Natuzzi - Account Director
Kara Shenton - Account Supervisor
Amanda Warren - Account Executive
Planning:
Paula Bloodworth - Planning Director
Production:
Matt Bonin - Chief Production Officer
Melanie Baublis - Executive Producer
Susan Rafter - Senior Producer
Dana Malinick - Production Coordinator
Karl Westman - Music Producer
David Halberstadt - Integrated Content Production Business Manager
Kathleen Gareiss - Managing Director Digital Delivery NA
Angela Fung - Executive Director of Digital Production
Jordan Saletan - Associate Director of Technology Management
Todd Harpersberger - Associate Director, Systems Architecture
Raul Morales - Director of Quality Assurance
Analytics:
Omari Jinaki - Associate Director of Marketing Analytics
Kacy Erdelyi - Integrated Communications Planner
Michael Gallo - Marketing Strategy
Production Company:
Epoch Films
Director: Michael Downing
Exec Producer: Melissa Culligan
Line producer: Eric Sedorovitz
Post Production:
Cosmo Street Editorial
Editor: Tom Scherma
Exec Producer: Maura Woodward
Producer: Heather Richardson
Asst editor: Zack Winick
Music:
JSM Music
Audio:
Sonic Union
Mixer: Steve Rosen
Telecine:
Company 3
Colorist: Tim Masick
Finishing:
Switch NYC
End tag Animation:
Ataboy Studios NYC
Digital Production:
Stinkdigital
Executive Producers: Esther Downton, Mark Pytlik
Director and Art Director: Morgan Harary
Creative Technologist: PJ Ahlberg
Interactive Producer: Sean Manion
Content Producer: Stine Moisen
Director of Photography: Lukasz Pruchnik
Developers: Charlie Clark, Marco Rosella
Motion Design: Erik Sigblad, Harry Thompson
Additional Post: Light of Day, New York