Hellmann's: Will Levis No. 8
Hellmann's tasked Edelman with reversing a seasonal sales decline following the summer grilling peak. The goal was to increase brand relevance among younger, football-obsessed consumers by leveraging the viral, polarizing reputation of mayonnaise. The client sought a high-impact, digital-first campaign that would generate significant earned media and drive product engagement during the NFL season, effectively turning a divisive condiment into a must-have cultural item.
Creative Idea
A luxury fragrance parody turned a polarizing condiment into a coveted, limited-edition status symbol.
Hellmann's launched a luxury perfume parody starring NFL quarterback Will Levis to transform a polarizing condiment into a high-end lifestyle object, successfully driving brand relevance and sales during the post-summer football season slump.
The Scent of Success Behind the Mayo
From Viral Coffee to Luxury Fragrance
The campaign originated from a genuine internet moment where Will Levis went viral for adding mayonnaise to his coffee. Edelman leaned into this absurdity, transforming a polarizing condiment into a high-end lifestyle brand. To achieve the right balance of luxury and condiment, the team worked with professional perfumers over three distinct formulation rounds. The final scent profile features tart lemon top notes, a heart of creamy mayonnaise accord and parsley, and a base of sensual musk, creamy vanilla, and coffee undertones—the latter serving as a deliberate homage to the quarterback's viral origin story.
Engineering a Sell-Out Phenomenon
The strategy targeted the post-summer sales slump by positioning Hellmann’s as a must-have item for the football season. By pricing the 30 mL bottle at exactly $8.00 to match Will Levis's jersey number, the brand created a collectible item that sold out in minutes during daily limited drops on Shopify. This scarcity-driven approach helped generate 12.3 billion total earned media impressions and a 22% growth in brand-related conversation volume.
Cinematic Parody and Cultural Reach
To capture the aesthetic of high-fashion perfume ads, the team enlisted renowned cinematographer Steven Meizler, known for his work on *The Queen's Gambit*. The commercial utilized classic luxury tropes—dramatic lighting, slow-motion football moves, and smoke—to frame the product as a serious fragrance. This high-production parody allowed the brand to achieve a 0.11% increase in dollar market share during launch week, significantly outpacing overall category growth by 2.4% and proving that even a divisive condiment can command the spotlight when it stops taking itself seriously.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
Hellmann's leveraged its status as a household staple and its existing partnership with viral NFL quarterback Will Levis.
Category
Condiment brands typically focus on recipe utility and family-friendly meal occasions, ignoring the polarizing nature of their products.
Customer
Fans craved authentic, humorous engagement that acknowledged the internet's obsession with quirky celebrity habits and niche condiment culture.
Culture
The rise of absurd, high-production influencer marketing and the intense, year-round cultural obsession with NFL personalities fueled the campaign's success.
Company
Hellmann's leveraged its status as a household staple and its existing partnership with viral NFL quarterback Will Levis.
Category
Condiment brands typically focus on recipe utility and family-friendly meal occasions, ignoring the polarizing nature of their products.
Strategy:
Transform polarizing brand perceptions into exclusive cultural currency through ironic, high-status creative storytelling.
Customer
Fans craved authentic, humorous engagement that acknowledged the internet's obsession with quirky celebrity habits and niche condiment culture.
Culture
The rise of absurd, high-production influencer marketing and the intense, year-round cultural obsession with NFL personalities fueled the campaign's success.
Strategy:
Transform polarizing brand perceptions into exclusive cultural currency through ironic, high-status creative storytelling.
Strategy Technique
Turn Weakness Into Strength
By leaning into the polarizing nature of mayonnaise and Will Levis's viral coffee habit, the brand reframed a potential negative into a badge of honor for superfans. It transformed a divisive ingredient into a luxury status symbol.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Make a Parody
The campaign mimics the pretentious tropes of high-end fragrance commercials to highlight the absurdity of a mayonnaise-scented cologne. This stylistic choice turns a polarizing product into a humorous, must-have cultural artifact.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
This commercial excels by meticulously committing to the visual language of high-end fragrance advertising to deliver absurd mayonnaise humor. The immaculate art direction and deadpan acting elevate what could be a basic gag into a memorable satire piece.
Recreates the moody cyan lighting, sleek set design, and misty atmospheric aesthetics of prestige designer perfume commercials with flawless accuracy.
Will Levis delivers an intentionally brooding, sultry performance with deadpan commitment despite holding and eating mayonnaise.
