Megan Fox Puts Men Through Deodorant School for Dr. Squatch

Dr. Squatch has teamed up with actress and model Megan Fox to remind men there are healthier choices when it comes to deodorant.

A new campaign from the Unilever-owned men’s personal care brand, “Dr. Squatch’s Foundation for Odor eXcellence,” is a six-part series starring Fox as Professor Fox, head professor at The Dr. Squatch Foundation for Odor Excellence, also known as The F.O.X. Dressed in a black leather outfit, she strolls through campus, educating her all-male students on the virtues of natural personal care products with a mix of innuendo and a riding crop.

In “Manliness 101,” Professor Fox commands the classroom and tells her students to “whip out your sticks.” When one student eagerly stands to unzip his pants, she clarifies, using her riding crop for emphasis, that she means their deodorant sticks. She then explains the benefits of Dr. Squatch’s all-natural deodorant compared to synthetic competitors.

“Our mission from the very beginning has been to inspire and educate men to be happier and healthier,” John Ludeke, chief brand officer of Dr. Squatch, told ADWEEK. “We want to find a way to connect and to capture people’s attention through really entertaining, fun content. Then once we have people’s attention, we can educate them on the different ingredients and why some of these things might be better.”

The campaign will roll out globally across all major channels, including TV, CTV, and social.

Finding a place in culture

Ludeke said Dr. Squatch’s use of irreverence, humor, and sex appeal goes beyond grabbing attention. When a brand finds a place in culture, he said, its identity is amplified.

“We focus on the idea that average marketing communicates the product benefits, good marketing communicates outcomes, and great marketing communicates identity, emotion, and feeling,” he said. “If we can be a brand that stands for something in culture and connects with people’s understanding of their own identity, that can be a powerful force for us.”

Ludeke added that many consumers, especially men, default to products they have used for years or those that simply serve a function at the lowest price. That is why, alongside humor and education about natural ingredients, Dr. Squatch aims to build a deeper connection.

“We focus on using nostalgia and irreverence in a way that inspires men to feel confident in themselves and to actually focus on the fact that it’s okay to care about my personal routine,” he said. “That can be empowering for them, because it allows them to have more agency over the products and routines in their lives.”

Close collaboration with talent

When Dr. Squatch teamed up with comedian James Schrader for its first ad in 2018, it established a marketing identity centered on talent collaboration. In recent years, the company has collaborated with partners from Stranger Things to Alan Ritchson to entertain and inform.

Last year, Dr. Squatch famously teamed up with Sydney Sweeney to auction off her used bathwater. About 1 million fans entered the giveaway.

In developing these partnerships, Ludeke said his team identifies talent who would make strong brand ambassadors, then builds campaigns around them. For this campaign, Megan Fox’s iconic status with millennials made her a natural fit.

“The idea for Professor Fox was about using some mental frames that guys have in their mind and positioning those to capture attention and then to communicate a fun, exciting message that’s simultaneously educational,” Ludeke said. “Using Megan as this badass professor who’s in charge, who’s educating men on the benefits of natural products in a cool, fun way—we thought would be a great way to connect.