Ads Review - Product Spokesperson Ads (Dollar Shave Club, Poo~Pourri, Dr. Squatch)

This week I’m reviewing product spokesperson ads. Examples of spokesperson advertising are plentiful in the broadcast world, but they’ve taken an exciting turn in the digital space. The first time I remember seeing an ad like this was for Dollar Shave Club. Their funny and edgy ad, Our Blades Are F***ing Great, was eagerly shared by my dorm mates in college hundreds of times. I even signed up for their service in college. (I stopped subscribing because the blades weren’t really f***ing great. But I digress; this is an advertising blog, not a razor blog.)

Recently, comedian James Schrader has made a number of spots with a few companies, all in this product spokesperson style. Most notably, he was in a recent Super Bowl spot for Dr. Squatch. 

Check out the ads here, then I’ll explain some do’s and don’ts for this style of digital advertising. 

Do’s

Focus on the customer 

A key to nailing this kind of ad is focusing on the customer. Ask yourself what problems they are experiencing, what they want from the product you offer, and what they find funny. If you don’t focus on their problems, they’ll get bored and click away. If you don’t show them a main value proposition (like value, quality, or ease), they’ll feel interrupted by the ad. If you don’t understand what they find funny, and then make a joke that doesn’t land, they’ll think your brand is cheesy, or worse–offensive. 

Be a little risky

Ads like these are a risky move. But you won’t catch anyone’s attention without being a little risky with this style of advertising. When you do this on a digital platform, you aren’t subject to the same regulations as the broadcast world. That’s why the Dollar Shave Club ad did so well. They explained their product, pitched its main value proposition, and spoke to their audience in a 90-second video. Running a 90-second video would have been prohibitively expensive. Using a bleeped-out f-word would have been removed from circulation. But this organic YouTube video racked up 27 million views–and was monumental in building a brand that eventually was acquired by Unilever for $1 Billion.

Don’ts

Don’t use your founder 

Unless the founder of the company used to be an actor, or has a lot of experience speaking to live audiences, don’t use them as the spokesperson. This is a hot take, but I’ll say it: The company-founder-inspiration-story is getting old. Customers don’t find it nearly as compelling as the marketing team does. Dollar Shave Club’s founder has an obvious charisma, which is visible in his confidence, his presentation, and the subtlety of his facial expressions to sell this ad. Anything less than a knockout delivery has this video sitting in some obscure corner of the internet with 7,500 views. 

If customers have to watch ads, they would rather watch someone who is skilled at public speaking. Give them that.

Don’t tell your story

Another hot take: There’s nothing artistically meaningful about starting a company. The story of how a company started is not interesting in advertising. Customers don’t care that the founder didn’t know what to do after they graduated from college. Customers care about whether or not a product with help them survive or thrive, on a deeply psychological level. Of course, these pieces of content are useful for super-fans down the road, but don’t use them as paid advertising. 

Closing

This style of advertising has proven to be wildly successful for the right brands. If you’re going to jump into it, make sure the brand is on board with the risky tone and approach you’re taking. We know about the success stories here. We don’t know about all the failures that have faded into oboscituiry. Remember: focus on the customer, be witty, use a good spokesperson, and avoid telling your story.

Good luck!