Dive Brief:

• Manscaped announced Pete Davidson as a new brand ambassador and shareholder as it prepares to go public later this year. 
• The four-year agreement will see the “Saturday Night Live” star appear in sketches, campaigns and other marketing activations tailored to the male grooming brand. The partnership was announced in a 30-second spot where Davidson ad-libs while showing off Manscaped products like The Lawn Mower 4.0.
• Securing a long-term celebrity endorsement could help Manscaped generate more widespread recognition ahead of its public debut. The pick of Davidson also firms up a positioning around edgy humor, which has been central to the brand’s strategy to date.

Dive Insight:

Manscaped wants to make a bigger splash with its marketing as it ramps up its business ambitions. The marketer has picked a colorful personality in Davidson, who’s become one of the more notable breakouts from “Saturday Night Live” in recent memory. Outside of his work in entertainment, Davidson has drawn media attention for his dating life and personal style, which has been dubbed “scum bro” by some fashion blogs.  

Manscaped aims to tap into a “vast, cult-like fanbase” that values Davidson’s candor and willingness to address taboo subjects, per the release. The commercial unveiling the partnership depicts Davidson in a black silk bathrobe riffing on the importance of men grooming their private areas. His jokes contain swears, but the curse words are bleeped out.

The details of what Davidson will do for Manscaped beyond appearing in ads aren’t quite clear at the moment, though a press release nods to the comedian’s love of tattoos and suggests those could factor into the partnership. This is also hardly a one-off campaign, as Davidson is signing a four-year agreement while acquiring a financial stake in the business. 

Davidson’s presence supports a broader messaging strategy that champions below-the-belt grooming with humor and puns. Manscaped, which was founded in 2016, has other partnerships that have tried to shore up appeal with male consumers, including a long-running sponsorship of the UFC. 

Manscaped in November struck an agreement with Bright Lights Acquisition to go public via a SPAC deal valued at $1 billion. The SPAC craze has imploded since then and broader macroeconomic conditions continue to worsen, stoking fears of a recession. 

For Davidson, the news adds to a growing list of high-profile brand tie-ups. Earlier this year, H&M enlisted the actor for its first-ever global campaign. The goal of the effort was to endear more male shoppers to the fast-fashion giant.