Pete Davidson is the new frontman for Manscaped
The actor and comedian’s multi-year partnership with the men’s grooming company kicks off today with a new ad, which blends Davidson’s charisma with the brand’s tongue-in-cheek humor.
Pete Davidson is ’the new face, among other parts,’ of men’s grooming company Manscaped. The four-year partnership – which also includes the naming of Davidson as a company shareholder – was announced today, alongside a new video spot in which the actor and comedian deploys some NSFW humor, plus a dose of his trademark charm and mysterious ’it’ factor, to advertise the company’s Lawn Mower 4.0 trimmer.
The ad opens with Davidson standing in a dimly-lit bathroom stocked with strategically-placed Manscaped products. He’s wearing a silk black bathrobe, parted above the waist to reveal a portion of his chest tattoos. Whimsical music plays in the background, accompanying a series of clips of Davidson trying out some taglines and occasionally breaking out in laughter. “Let’s show them how hairless we can be, boys,” he says at one point, looking into the camera intensely and using a gravelly voice that sounds a bit like Robert Shaw’s character in Jaws.
A few takes later, he gets a bit more to the point: “Shave your [bleep]. Shave it, baby!”
Davidson seems to comfortably embody the aesthetic of tongue-in-cheek humor and relaxed confidence that Manscaped has been aiming for in some of its recent marketing efforts. Earlier this year, for example, the brand decked out a couple of New York City metro stations with an OOH campaign called ’Big Groomed Energy’ (or ’BGE’ for short – a play on the popular acronym ’BDE’ which means... well, use your imagination).
“Aside from all the curiosity about his big confidence and attractiveness, Pete’s edgy sense of humor aligns perfectly with our communication style,“ says Marcelo Kertész, senior vice-president of creative, branding and product design at Manscaped. “Pete pushes us to the next level of comedy while at the same elevating the message with his worldwide A-list celebrity appeal.“
This isn’t Davidson’s first time being the face of a brand – he did a campaign for Calvin Klein and another for Lifewater. It was recently announced that he will be parting ways with Saturday Night Live after an eight-season stint.
For more, sign up for The Drum’s daily US newsletter here.