Philips and Nivea for Men RobotSkin Ad Campaign
Electric Razors will always have a market, and they always need to market them differently. Generally it’s about the blades, and how it shaves closer than anything else that is out there. Usually, there’s a pretty looking woman in a robe nearby, ready to feel the man’s smooth-as-a-baby’s-bottom shave.
This new electric razor from Philips teams up with Nivea for Men to create what may be the weirdest ad-campaign for a razor I have ever seen. The campaign is a mix of Internet sites, sci-fi animation, interactivity, and an odd storyline. The slogan of the RobotSkin ad campaign is “feel different” and this one certainly is.
Essentially, the new ad campaign allows the potential consumer to take part in a sci-fi film noir type story. Actually, the user gets to “frame a friend”, which allows a user to set up an email friend for this story involving a potential arrest. You can even go so far as describe your friend, but oddly enough, the description is always “ugly” with a combination of something else.
From there, the person you set up will receive an email that allows him (always a he) to enter into an interactive experience. The player will even get a combination to enter in, but I think I actually entered in the wrong one, and the game played for me. The world you have entered is futuristic, dystopian sci-fi, and has the look of one of the shorts from Animatrix. The story has you answering a call from a device that looks suspiciously like an iPhone, with a lady who says you are about to be set up.
In response, you go to this robot who has the new Philips razors on her palms. That’s right, I said her. This she-bot has a baby face and some fake boobs. And I don’t mean the type made from silicone, but these look like silicon. Anyway, the female robot shaves you in a way that is most erotic. By the time the cops arrive, they take a look at you and realize they have the wrong suspect. Why? Because you look so good. Because the suspect they are look for is ugly, and you look like “you’ve just been on a magazine cover”.
There are also two other adventures that you go on, and you are tailing this robot. I would have to say that the main character’s obsession with this robot is nothing short of weird. I believe the term would be robot-fatuation.
I must admit that Nivea and Phillips’ razor is nothing to sneeze at. It has a stand that not only charges it, but keeps it continually filled with the Nivea for Men Conditioner. Of course, you have to buy the replacement cartridges. There are some unique glide rings which is obligatory for any new electronic razor. Not only that, it is waterproof for the shower.
I will also have to admit that the RobotSkin ad campaign is one of the most creative that I’ve ever seen. It is definitely targeted to the Spike TV crowd, but it will no doubt draw a lot of purchasers.
