The first spot in Axe’s “Don’t Overthink It” campaign couldn’t have come at a worse time, and now, like basketball, it’s on hiatus.
The ad from MullenLowe, Los Angeles, shows a guy imagining his stink has caused a panic in a basketball arena, prompting the crowd to flee as airplane-style oxygen masks drop down for people on the court. It first aired on National Basketball Association broadcasts Monday, two days before the NBA suspended its season after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, which prompted fans to empty the arena when it was announced just before a game with the Oklahoma Thunder that was canceled.
The ad also was set to air on NCAA Tournament games, which were canceled the next day.
While the spot did run 29 times in all through March 13, also on Adult Swim and Comedy Network, per iSpot.tv, it’s going on break now.
“We’ve decided not to run ‘The Big Game’ spot at this time,” the Unilever brand said in a statement. “We are a sponsor of the NCAA Tournament, and this spot would have run during that time.”