Full-service creative production company Where The Buffalo Roam (WTBR) produced a hilarious new series of spots for Dollar Shave Club, directed by in-house comedy talent Brian L. Perkins. The spots are comically blunt and stay true to Dollar Shave Club’s unpretentiousness and rebellious sense of humor with a straightforward call-to-action of “we sell great razors at a great price.” And while Dollar Shave Club is primarily known for their successful razor subscription model, the new spots also remind shoppers that these razors are also available in “real actual stores,” as the ad says.
“We are focused on designing high quality razors at a great price and bringing fun back to the category,” commented Megan Milazzo, Dollar Shave Club’s Chief Marketing Officer. “Our heritage lies at the intersection of irreverence and straightforward, honest talk. We aren't afraid to poke fun at ourselves or the norms that exist in the male grooming category.”
Perkins and WTBR collaborated on the campaign concept with the in-house marketing team at Dollar Shave Club, with Myles Noland scripting the hero spot.
“Myles is hilarious, a fantastic writer, and super collaborative,” notes Perkins, who is no stranger to infusing absurd and outrageous comedy into commercials for Robinhood, and
Webflow’s “Better Way” campaign.
Perkins also credits the Dollar Shave Club team’s willingness to “let the funniest idea win,” as he, the talent, and even some of the crew riffed various ad-libs and physical gags to bring the best version of the scripts to life. “The Dollar Shave Club team was generous and selfless, which made everything easy. If we laughed at something, we used it.”
In addition to “Just Charge Less,” Perkins shot and delivered “Cool Stuff,” featuring the same comedic everyman explaining how Dollar Shave Club’s savings allow you to spend your extra cash on “cool things” like piñatas and dress shoes; ;and “Hairs Don’t Care,” a cowboy-themed comedy riff inspired by the popularity of the show Yellowstone, which plays into the dissonance between a rugged cowboy in a clean retail space
Perkins notes that the spots’ simple lighting and aesthetic allowed him to maximize time working with his cast. Once WTBR and the Dollar Shave team finished collaborating on the script and ideation, they handled the live-action production and editing, as well as the end title cards.
“We delivered several additional spots that are good to go,” adds Perkins.
The shoot reunited Perkins with a familiar and trusted crew in Chicago: “Our producer, Emma Jubinsky, has worked in Chicago for ages and assembled this kickass team of all-stars: Kyle Bainter, our DP, has an incredible eye for composition and comedy, and just as importantly, he works super fast; and Mark Dalpra, our production designer, always overdelivers with his sets, both in terms of scope and detail.”
Perkins also notes that this was his first production to utilize artificial intelligence, although in a strange way: “We were filming on a set dressed like a big-box Walmart-like store and had to fill dozens of shelves with fake products. So, we used AI to create the packaging, and it spat out all these unnervingly weird products with funny names like ‘Mtuls’ and ‘Dr. Men’.”
Client: Dollar Shave Club
CEO: Jason Goldberger
Chief Marketing Officer: Megan Milazzo
VP of Strategy & Growth: Carly Jansen
Brand Director, Omni Comms & GTM Execution: Bernard Nuesa
Creative Director: Christine Leri
Associate Creative Director: Myles Noland
3D & Motion Art Director: Nathan Nutley
Project Manager: Maria Cristobal
Production Company: Where The Buffalo Roam
Executive Producer: Jeff Blodgett
Head of Production: Christine Whitney
Head of Post Production: Amy Russo
Director: Brian L. Perkins
Line Producer: Emma Jubinski
DP: Kyle Bainter
Production Designer: Mark Dalpra
Post Producer: Mike Schultz
Editor: Jonathan Flookes
Editorial Intern: Tricia Heath
Motion Designer: Jess Gibson
Color: Briana Brackett/Carbon
Sound Mix: Blake Henderson
About Dollar Shave Club
Dollar Shave Club started in 2011 by solving a huge problem in the shaving industry: shopping for razors sucked. The cost was too high, the experience too low. So we did what needed to be done: offered quality razors at affordable prices, delivered straight to your door. Since then, we’ve transformed into a multinational, omni-channel, lifestyle brand with retail presence nationwide. Our product portfolio provides solutions to all of your grooming problems and continues to be driven by a core, unwavering belief that everyone has the right to a great shave at a great price. Whether you've been with us from the start or just got here, everyone's welcome in the Club.
For more information visit www.dollarshaveclub.com or follow @DollarShaveClub on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
About Where the Buffalo Roam:
WTBR is a full-service production company with offices in Oakland and Los Angeles. Its approach is simple: Be good people. Make good things. Recent clients include Google, Nike, Webflow, Robinhood, Gymshark, and Vespa.
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