The goal for MANSCAPED’s “The Boys” campaign from agency Pereira O’Dell was to stop treating male groin grooming like it’s some kind of taboo. It’s 2024 and about time that we normalize groin grooming for the benefit of men (and their partners) everywhere.
The challenge? How to talk about men’s nether regions in a TV-safe way. Enter the visual metaphor. This depicts the…you know what…as a pair of miniatures identical to every full-size male character, always attached to him at hip height. The visual enables MANSCAPED to showcase exactly what the product was designed to do by changing the miniatures’ hairstyles throughout the spot.
This visual metaphor opened up a whole world–one where every male would have two identical groomed boys. The jokes unfolded naturally as the boys behaved like men’s body parts–bobbing around while jogging or floating to the top of a hot tub. And the ungroomed boys, well, they had a rough time of it until they finally got a little love via The Lawn Mower® 5.0 Ultra, MANSCAPED’s newest groin and body hair trimmer.
JJ Adler directed “The Boys” spot via production company Ruckus Films. VFX house was KEVIN.
Jason Apaliski, executive creative director at Pereira O’Dell, said, “We couldn’t be more excited to launch this work with MANSCAPED and help put the conversation of men’s grooming on a national stage. The ingenious visual metaphor of ‘The Boys’ is so disarmingly dumb you can’t help but smile. It’s so insightful and yet so relatable. Hopefully it inspires men to give their boys the love they deserve.”
Credits
Client MANSCAPED Agency Pereira O’Dell PJ Pereira, co-founder/creative chairman; Rob Lambrechts, chief creative officer; Jason Apaliski, Juliana Constantino, executive creative directors; Julie Rutigliano, Fernando “Bisnaga” Passos, creative directors; Sophia Held, sr. copywriter; Lily Ramos, Thomas Hinkamp, sr. art directors; Eduardo Gomes, head of art; Darbi Fretwell, director of integrated production; Anthony Nelson, executive producer; Natalie Nymark, president; Ray Yoes, group strategy director. Production Company Ruckus Films JJ Adler, director; Greg Jones, managing partner; Sabrina Mossberg, head of production; Franny Freiberger, producer; Damian Acevedo, DP. Production Services 24/7 (Spain) Richard Webb, exec producer; Alexandra Hunt, producer; Guido Konijn, art director; Raquel Alvarez, FX make-up; Mariella Morrealle, make-up; Ann Charlotte Fennagen, wardrobe stylist. Prosthetics May Effects. Editorial Cut+Run Andrea Mendoza, editor; Bebe Baldwin, exec producer; Keith Munley, producer; Jose Michelena, assistant editor. VFX KEVIN Gareth Parr, VFX lead and shoot supervisor; Christel Hazard, Young Mok , Noah Poole, 2D assist; Sue Troyan, partner & exec producer; Dan Roberts, sr. producer; Connor Van Der Linde, coordinator. Music Quiet City Darren Solomon, composer; Chris Jordan, producer. Sound Lime Studios Zac Fisher, sound design & mix; Klaudia Bennet, audio assistant; Susie Boyajan, exec producer. Color Trafik Taylor Pool, colorist; Hugh Copeland, color producer; Robert Owens, managing partner.
Stain remover Vanish presents this emotional short film--created by BETC Havas, Sao Paulo, and produced by LOBO--that explores the profound consequences of bullying and highlights the importance of open conversations between parents and children. Titled The Bully Monster, the animated film premiered at the Maquinaria Festival in Rio de Janeiro on February 15 in a special edition featuring family-focused programming.
The film’s protagonist is a boy who experiences bullying at school but keeps silent about his suffering. Isolation turns sadness into insecurity, creating invisible emotional scars that only grow in the absence of dialogue. When his mother notices stains on his uniform, these marks become the starting point for a revealing conversation. As words find space to make themselves heard, the stains begin to fade.
This initiative aligns with the Vanish Saves Your Uniform campaign, which, for the past three years during the back-to-school season, has engaged with parents by positioning the brand as a trusted partner in preserving school uniforms. This year, Vanish decided to broaden the conversation, bringing bullying into the debate as the real stain that can impact a child’s life.
The Bully Monster is being screened as preshow material in movie theaters starting February 20 and will also be available on streaming platforms and digital channels. In addition to the film, the campaign will include out-of-home activations and school initiatives through a partnership with Abrace – Preventive Programs, the founding organization of the “Bullying-Free Schools” program, which has been equipping institutions with resources to combat school violence for 12 years.
“Research indicates that stains on a uniform can... Read More
