Benefit's Ballsy Mascara Ad Enlarges Celebrity Packages
What's This?
Ballsy is the right word for Benefit Cosmetics' latest video campaign, which debuts Wednesday.
The video, dubbed "Real Men Don't Fake It," features a host of male characters — some at the pool or beach, another in yoga class and another in a parking lot — all in tight-fitting garments that display unusually large "packages." The women around them become unusually excited — but, as it turns out, for a different kind of package. The video ends with one of Benefit's more popular taglines: "Laughter is the best cosmetic."
The campaign was designed to promote the cosmetic company's They're Real mascara, which promises consumers lashes so long and thick they look fake.
"We wanted to find a clever way to play on real vs. fake double entendre," Claudia Allwood, U.S. director of marketing at Benefit Cosmetics, said in a phone interview with Mashable on Tuesday. "It's irreverent and cheeky, so overt [you] can't possibly take it seriously."
Allwood says Benefit began casting the video four to six months ago, finding actors with "a sense of humor about themselves" who were also active online. The team was drawn to Jersey Shore's Vinny Guadagnino because, as a reality star, he himself encapsulated the real vs. fake dichotomy — and he had a funny lineup of Instagram and YouTube videos to boot. Benefit was likewise impressed with the Vine performances of comedian Brittany Furlan and actor/rapper Simon Rex, who were also cast in the campaign.
Although Allwood believes the video "can't possibly be taken seriously," she admits there are some fans "who won't love it."
"We at least hope to make someone giggle," she says.
The video will appear on YouTube and Benefit's website. It will be promoted through the company's social channels and through a paid integration on Reddit — a first for the brand. Although there's a call to purchase towards the end of the video, Allwood says that impressions and buzz — rather than sales — will be the true markers of the video's success.
Image: Benefit Cosmetics
Topics: Advertising, beauty, benefit cosmetics, Business, Marketing, Video
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