





Old Spice, looking to maintain the social media momentum that began with its breakthrough "The man your man can smell like" campaign from 2010, is making the leap from tongue-in-cheek advertising to tongue-in-cheek product releases.

The product: A bear-shaped deodorant holder.

That item, which looks like something that would have been a good Father's Day gift in 1974, will go on sale on Wednesday via Old Spice's Facebook Page for $19.99. To get the word out, the brand and ad agency Weiden + Kennedy have created the faux informercial above. In the tradition of faux informercials, like rival Axe's "Clean Your Balls" last year, the pitch is intentionally cheesy. While Axe milked its double-entrendre to absurd extremes, "Bear Deodorant Protector" is just absurd. The ad stars just one man, for instance, who wears various outfits (including women's clothes) to approximate an audience in an infomercial (he also plays host and product demonstrator).

Despite the bizarre premise, the video frequently emphasizes the fact that the Bear Deodorant Protector is a real product, one that perhaps owes a debt to Burger King's meat-scented cologne, another I-can't-believe-it's-real product aimed at manly men back in 2008.

The ad comes after the brand released a Skittles-esque ad on Monday that showed an unattractive, pudgy guy literally falling to pieces as he rides his motorcycle (below).

What do you think? Do you like the Bear Deodorant Protector? Is Facebook the best place to launch this somewhat silly product? Let us know in the comments.



