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Classic men’s shaving ads perpetuated old-school stereotypes of masculinity: the men depicted were sculpted, smooth and flawless.
More recently, category leaders like Gillette have changed their advertising (to mixed reactions)–but personal care brand Harry’s is taking another step to flip tropes of masculinity on their head.
In Harry’s campaign for the U.K. market, it bills itself as the “ultimate hype man to the everyday man” as it introduces a new brand platform called “Feel good, fellas.” The brand is focused on helping men feel good, not just look good, and boosting their confidence.
Harry’s is not the first men’s care brand to attempt this, but it brings this concept to life with a niche, unusual story.
London-based agency The Or, part of the Mother network, made the campaign after being named Harry’s lead creative agency in the U.K. in November.
The film, directed by Max Sherman at Somesuch, follows a business leader who on the surface has the typical markers of success—professional status, polish. “Thirty years ago, he might have been the Gillette man,” said Dan Morris, co-executive creative director of The Or.
But the businessman’s world is turned upside down one day in a meeting, when he notices a younger colleague across the table. The young man “represents the everyday man—not outwardly special, but he has a bit of character,” said Charlene Chandrasekaran, The Or’s co-executive creative director. “The boss would usually never talk to this guy, who’s so below him.”
In this moment, however, the everyday guy achieves something that the boss has never been able to: He peels a satsuma orange in one long, unbroken strip.
The satsuma incident shakes the boss to his very core, triggering something of an existential crisis. He can’t stop talking about it to anyone who will listen.
