Have a ball / Manscaped isn’t the first to find humour in male anatomy, but the lesson here isn’t to make a funny ad — it’s how the brand used levity and comedy to broach a seldom-discussed topic. While male grooming doesn’t carry the most serious of taboos, depicting testicles and pubic hair on TV is a challenge for several reasons, which presents a potential barrier to consumers discovering and seeking out Manscaped’s products. Not only does the brand’s deft use of humour circumvent nudity restrictions, it also lightheartedly illustrates the benefits of male grooming, such as comfort and convenience. The overall tone of the ad — relatable, self-deprecating, playful — is a welcome change from the category tropes of rippled torsos, manufactured masculinity, and fawning female models.
Male models / From its punny brand name to the language it uses to describe its products (‘Lawn Mower 5.0 Ultra’), Manscaped has cultivated a distinctive brand personality that reflects the modern man it caters to. The copy is chatty, unpretentious, and rooted in humour — the ultimate tool for navigating potentially embarrassing or touchy subjects. The Boys ad takes male grooming out of hiding and neutralises any awkwardness about discussing it; in this ad, it’s not vain or unmasculine — you’re just showing ‘the boys’ some love.
Back in 2017, we explored how brands were embracing more inclusive notions of masculinity in their advertising, amid the cultural conversation about toxic masculinity. More recent campaigns that reflect this trend include Viagra’s Love Story campaign, and A Man Like You by Harry’s. Talking about the context for the Viagra work, Josh Taylor-Dadds, then-strategy director at VMLY&R, said: ‘Masculinity isn’t in crisis, it’s in flux… When we talked to men, they spoke about lots of positivity in modern masculinity. They told us about how they see themselves as a more central part of their families than their fathers’ generation was able to be, how men today can show more emotion, that vulnerability is not necessarily a weakness… While there are lots of issues in masculinity, there is also so much light and positivity that is less trendy to talk about in the media.’
While male grooming doesn’t suffer from the same stigma as erectile dysfunction, The Boys similarly uses light and positivity to depict modern masculinity. If you want to learn more about this topic, watch this talk from Most Contagious 2019, about how questioning modern masculinity put Gillette back on the global stage.
