Things can get a little hairy when it comes to male grooming. Leading men’s grooming company MANSCAPED™ is here to tackle the subject with a hilarious commercial for its best-selling electric trimmer, the Lawn Mower® 4.0. ArtClass director Ryan Ebner brought his signature understated brand of comedy to show how a man feels after using MANSCAPED products. “Fantasy, Aisle Four” stars MMA superstar Max Holloway and announcer Bruce Buffer.
In the spot, we see a regular guy walk up to a MANSCAPED display, where he is suddenly thrust into the body of Holloway. The lights begin to flicker, the bell rings, and Buffer dives into his signature announcer voice while Holloway demonstrates the features of the trimmer. Our guy is then snapped back into his body, standing half-naked and grooming himself under the fluorescent store lights. The spot ends with a store employee grabbing the PA from Buffer’s hand and nonchalantly paging security.
“This spot was a dream to make, from the talent to the world-class production team at ArtClass,” said Carter Baldwin, Vice President of Content at MANSCAPED. “A star-studded and uniquely creative commercial like this requires an incredible amount of skill and hustle, and ArtClass went above and beyond to deliver both.”
Known for his razor-sharp casting, Ebner understood the need for minimal contrast between Holloway and the shopper in order to keep the illusion alive throughout the entire spot. This meant finding an actor who had some resemblance to Holloway, in height, hair color, and general features. With little to no dialogue, Ebner also relied on the actors' facial expressions to deliver the classic “Freaky Friday” moment.
“MANSCAPED’s understanding of their customer made directing this spot that much easier,” said Ebner. “Comedy is not only in their brand wheelhouse, but it’s also a great way to break down the barriers on anything. With everything else going on, it’s nice to produce content that makes people laugh. Hopefully, this gets people more comfortable talking about male grooming.”
Baldwin added, “Bruce and Max continue to be utter professionals to work with on set. It’s always a joy and privilege to work with both of them. Bringing them together on one stage outside of the UFC Octagon for the first time was something special...and makes for a very entertaining ad.”
Lighting also contributed to creating the right comedic effect with the juxtaposition between the grocery store and the fantasy world. Ebner and his team did this by contrasting the fluorescent store lighting with the darker walkout-style lighting for the UFC scenes. Ebner also chose to keep the focus on Holloway and Buffer while incorporating an actual UFC music stab and crowd noises to elevate the feeling of being at a real UFC event.
With the commercial airing during upcoming PPV and Fight Nights on ESPN+, Ebner wanted to produce a piece that would attract new customers and also keep people watching over and over.
“This was a great project to work on,” concluded Ebner. “The talent was amazing and the client was incredibly engaged. I'm a huge fan of the UFC, so when ArtClass presented me with this opportunity, I knew they respected my interests and trusted my instincts as a director. And handling everything in-house at ArtClass made for a seamless, buttoned-up process, which I think shows in the final spot.”
Client: MANSCAPED
Creative Director: Carter Baldwin
Art Director: Nick Kamei
Producer: Jessica Holmes
Writer: Chris Gronau
Agency: UFC
Production Company: ArtClass
Director: Ryan Ebner
DP: Nick Matthews
Managing Partner: Geno Imbriale
Managing Director, Live: Rebecca Niles
Managing Director, Post: Corwin Carroll
Executive Producer: Kate Aspell
Head of Broadcast Development: Sean Owolo
Head of Production: Sparkle Jones
Production Coordinator: Kat Garelli
Post Production Coordinator: Jason Gonzalez
Post Production Company: ArtClass
Editor: Chris Salters
Post Producer: Savannah Cannistraro
Sound Mixer: Julian Bickford
Colorist: Jenny Mongomery (Company 3)
About MANSCAPED:
Founded by Paul Tran in 2016, San Diego, California-based MANSCAPED™ is the global men’s lifestyle consumer brand and male grooming category creator trusted by over four million men worldwide. The product range includes a diversified line of premium tools, formulations, and accessories that are intelligently designed to introduce and elevate a whole new self-care routine for men. MANSCAPED offers a one-stop-shop at manscaped.com and direct-to-consumer shipping in 38 countries, spanning the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Norway, Switzerland, Singapore, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Select products and unique bundles can also be found on Amazon with Prime and pickup options available. Retail placement includes Target, Best Buy, and Macy’s stores throughout the U.S. and Hairhouse locations in Australia. For more information, visit the website or follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube.
About ArtClass:
ArtClass is a next-gen production company specializing in traditional commercials, shorts, and branded content. Its team of internet-born creators and heavy-hitting producers means it can effortlessly shift between large-scale shoots and jobs that require more nimble production approaches -- all with artistry at the forefront. Recent clients include AT&T, Amazon, ESPN, Kellogg’s, MLB, Netflix, P&G, and State Farm.
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