Publicis Montreal has created an “explosive” ad for Viktor & Rolf’s Spicebomb cologne after news outlets reported an airline passenger triggered a security alert over the product’s package design, which is shaped like a hand grenade.
Last week, The Daily Mail and Telegraph reported that passenger Jimmy Ho’s aftershave ignited a full-scale terrorist alert at Edinburgh Airport. He was reportedly surrounded by police and the suspicious bottle was taken away for testing. Ho was released after a “heart-stopping” 45 minutes and made his flight back to London.
Hearing the news, Publicis Montreal decided to tap the news for client L’Oréal Canada, said Nicolas Massey, vice-president and creative director. (L’Oreal’s portfolio of brands includes Viktor & Rolf, which launched Spicebomb in March.)
The agency created a print ad with the headline “Go through customs at your risk.” Copy opens with, “The new Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb won’t let you go unnoticed” and told the story of the hapless airline passenger. The ad ran in English and French in The Montreal Gazette and La Presse on Aug. 11.
“We leveraged what was at first something that was negative into something more humorous and provocative,” said Massey. “It’s one of those campaigns that you do very quickly and it’s very opportunistic. We tried to do as quickly as possible because the news is still on and people are talking about it.”
