Two summers ago, quarterback Will Levis went viral for an unusual food hack: putting mayonnaise in his coffee. After being drafted by the Tennessee Titans in 2023, his next big signing was with Hellmann’s — for a lifetime supply of mayo.

But wearing your allegiance with a logo on your uniform is one thing: It’s an entirely different thing to wear it all over your body, which is why Hellmann’s last month introduced Will Levis No. 8, the world's first “parfum de mayonnaise.”

“We're the first condiment brand to design a fragrance after our product – and it makes sense for Hellmann's to enter this space because of the versatile ways that people are using and showing their love of mayonnaise,” said Chris Symmes, head of marketing for dressings and condiments in North America for Unilever, in a statement.

Along with creating actual 30-milliliter bottles of the fragrance, which quickly sold out at $8 a piece on a microsite, Hellmann’s unveiled a campaign that includes a 40-second spot, social cutdowns, out-of-home ads and more. The hero ad is a pitch-perfect parody of high-end perfume ads in which Levis, in loose-fitting cotton, contemplates mayo amid billows of smoke while adding whispered details in voiceover. 

“It's too good not to parody,” said Andrew Simon, global executive creative director at Edelman, who also directed the spot, about trope-heavy perfume ads.

Matching brand and athlete identities

The origin of the relationship between Hellmann’s and Levis began last year as Simon watched the quarterback slip to the second round of the NFL Draft. As commentators discussed the quarterback’s quirkiness and on-field decision making, the ad exec discovered the condiment-coffee clip.

“The fact that he was passed over in the first round was the perfect impetus to be like, ‘well, we need to be the first to sign into a contract,’” he recalls.

The lifetime supply of mayonnaise contract came in August and was accompanied by a campaign video that resembled a press conference. Throughout the process, the Edelman team realized the partnership was a great match for Levis’ personality and attitude. 

Before returning for a second season, the brand and agency had to determine if the story still had legs and, if so, how to keep the playful spirit while also playing into the love-hate relationship that consumers have with mayonnaise (a topic that has been keyed into by its competitors). The fragrance — which smells like mayo, “musk and vanilla with coffee undertones” — satisfied those requirements, allowing Levis’ personality to shine on a product that literally has his name on it: Will Levis No. 8, like Chanel No. 5. 

Athlete turned actor

Beyond creating the product with manufacturer K Luxury Fragrances, Hellmann’s and Edelman went all in on the campaign video and associated elements. From the press conference shoot, Simon knew that Levis had the acting chops to pull off parody — which isn’t always the case with athlete ambassadors.

“Obviously being an athlete has nothing to do with being an actor, and the two worlds couldn't be more different,” he said. “We shouldn't expect athletes to be amazing [as actors], but when it happens, you gotta take advantage.”

Simon directed Levis to perform with the same seriousness as practice or a game and to believe that act as if he was a legitimate fragrance spokesperson. A memorable shot of Levis stuffing an open-faced mayo sandwich in his mouth was nailed in one or two takes.

“I gave him direction, for sure, but he definitely understood what we were doing and the fun we were going to have,” Simon said. “We can't take ourselves too seriously, because we're Hellmann’s.”

The Titans proved to be great collaborators, as well, allowing the team to shoot at their practice facility. Beyond the spot, Edelman created an out-of-home ad in Nashville, where Levis’ Titans play, and rolled out testing strips during a preseason game. Levis proudly brought a bottle of No. 8 with him during a post-game press conference. All together, the campaign has been a touchdown.

“We never said this is going to be a million dollar campaign,” Simon said. “This is a controlled effort that we definitely think should work if we do it correctly, and the results have been pretty fantastic.”