Eos enters men's shaving category with Mischief ads mocking rivals’ insufferable manliness

‘Unmanhandle Your Face’ appeals to guys who want a better product, not gorillas and spokesmen with perfect jawlines

Published On
Mar 28, 2023
A man in a blue vest looking at the camera

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Eos has enjoyed impressive growth in the women’s shaving category, particuarly among Gen Z, thanks in part to some irreverent advertising from the agency Mischief (and even product design—remember “Bless Your F*ing Cooch”?).

Now, client and agency are diving into men’s shaving, with the hopes of creating similarly category-defying work to drive sales. Their first effort, which drops today, is themed “Unmanhandle Your Face”—and takes direct aim at the hypermasculine tropes still so common in the category’s advertising.

Here are two 30-second spots, in which a ridiculously perfect-looking spokesman for a rival brand turns out to be, to no one’s surprise, an absolute tool.

 
 

“The grooming category is in need of innovation, disruption, and aspiration—and it’s the right time to shake things up,” said Soyoung Kang, CMO at eos. “More and more men are becoming interested in taking care of their skin. And while we’ve seen a lot of new entrants focused on razors, we haven’t seen as much innovation around prep and skincare.”

She added: “We’re confident eos can win over male-identifying consumers by continuing to lean into our signature style of bold, convention-defying marketing. We’ve found immense success and extreme growth in our women’s business by stepping away from how things are usually done in the skincare industry and prioritizing fun, speed and realness with how the brand talks and engages with its community.”

Here’s some more work from the new campaign:

Ad for eos men's shaving cream with the headline "Less talk of chainsaws. More hydration."

Ad for eos men's shaving cream with the headline "Less 'secret technology.' More shea butter."

Ad for eos men's shaving cream with the headline "Less glistening pectorals. More nourishing oils."

Ad for eos men's shaving cream with the headline "Less unattainable jawlines. More moisture."

Eos said the male-targeting skincare market is forecast to grow by 24% in the next five years, with 56% of Gen Z males having used a facial cosmetic and 40% of Gen Z interested in using gender-neutral cosmetics. Also, eos said it found through social listening that many men already use eos women’s shave cream for its nourishing ingredients. (Eos’ household penetration for its women’s products grew by 37% in 2022.)

The category move allows Mischief to craft its own irrevent take on masculinity, much as Wieden+Kennedy did once upon a time with Old Spice.

“The men’s skincare category is already saturated with exaggerated hyper-masculinity,” said agency associate creative director Tanner Thompson. “There are plenty of products for men with perfect jawlines and soaring crypto investments. But what about the normal guys who actually call their moms back and don’t make vests their personality? The guys who just want a good, moisturizing shave cream? This campaign, and this new product, is for them.”

Credits

Date
Mar 28, 2023
Client :
EOS
Agency :
Mischief
Chief Marketing Officer :
Soyoung Kang
VP Brand Marketing and Media :
Carley Caldas
Creative Director :
Demi Ngai
Senior Brand Manager Content & Social :
Kirby Reynolds
Co-Founder & CCO :
Greg Hahn
Partner & Executive Creative Director :
Bianca Guimaraes
Partner & Executive Creative Director :
Kevin Mulroy
ACD :
Dana Buckhorn
ACD :
Tanner Thompson
President & Partner :
Kerry McKibbin
Managing Director :
Tyler Harris
Account Director :
Kelsey Brown
Account Executive :
Deven Sportelli
Head of Strategy :
Jeff McCrory
Strategy Director :
Brittany Dow
Partner & Director of Development :
Oliver McAteer
EVP Production :
Will Dempster
Producer :
Danielle Balanov
Production :
Strike Anywhere
Director :
Pete Marquis
EP :
Victoria Guenier
Producer :
Adam Lawson
DP :
Julia Swain
Wardrobe Stylist :
Soseh Keshishyan
Prod Designer :
Geoff Flint
Post :
Good Behavior
Editor :
Dick Gordon
Colorist :
Dante Pasquinelli
VFX Artist :
Ian Duncan
Audio :
Grayson Music Group
Audio Director :
Mark Domitric
Audio Executive Producer :
Kelly McCluskey
Audio Engineer :
Vlad Nikolic
Sound Designer :
Ben Swarbrick
Casting Director :
Zach Anderson
Photography :
Billy Siegrist

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