Toronto-based animation and design studio Crush and ad agency BBDO have teamed up to create a cringe-worthy YouTube video to raise awareness of testicular cancer.
The spot documents 20 men getting waxed… ahem… down there at a March 27 fundraiser. As a larger group enjoyed drinks and appetizers at Crush, volunteers had their names drawn from a hat, and were sent to another room to be waxed. Meanwhile, in the main room, guests watched their reactions through a live feed – and a slow-mo replay afterwards.
The resulting ad, which the team created for free, recreates that moment – just the men’s faces as they’re waxed, some taking a drink for courage beforehand, some screaming red-faced at the end.
The video was released April 1, to kick off testicular cancer awareness month.
The idea grew after Crush’s Andre Arevalo started thinking about doing a video focused on pain tolerance, and the team zeroed in on testicular cancer as a cause. They then approached Testicular Cancer Canada to see if they would be interested in the idea. BBDO provided the script, communication strategy and planning, and Glossy is doing the PR.
“[Testicular Cancer Canada] was totally onboard. The idea was to drive awareness to the cause,” says Natalia Winardi, the producer. “Cheryl [Perry] started Testicular Cancer Canada because she lost her son to it. So her thing is if we can just save one guy – just get one guy to check.”
