Here's the latest knockoff from the Dollar Shave Club school of straight-talking spokesperson advertising—a low-budget, occasionally funny but mostly cringe-inducing ad for Goodwipes, a brand of body wipes that likes to talk dirty while cleaning you up.
Actress and comedian Lace Larrabee stars in the two-minute clip, which calls on her to wipe away boob sweat while delivering a bracing monologue about the power of Goodwipes to redeem your smelly, sweaty self.
The straight-talk approach is tricky when it comes to personal hygiene. And this spot, while it tries hard to be funny, mostly comes off as gross. (The ridiculously sweaty guy is as randomly over the top as many of Larrabee's jokes.) It might have helped to use a British actress—with their proper diction in the face of filthy material, they're known for making bodily-function humor actually work.
Still, Goodwipes is going all in with this approach, which works somewhat better in the press release, which features comical canned quotes from some of the company's execs.
"This ad is a game-changer!" says Goodwipes president Charlie Siciak. "Whether you're in a crowded elevator at Comic-Con or forgot you had no running hot water, Goodwipes is the answer to the question … how the heck do I not feel like a slimy bowl of beef consommé sitting out for three days?"
"We don't test our products on animals because frankly, many of them don't care how they smell and neither do we," adds co-founder Sam Nebel. "We put our wipes in the hands of hygiene-conscious consumers leading active and busy lifestyles who need to feel fresh on the go. When you feel fresh, you feel good. When you feel good you're the bomb! I also want the world to know how soft your skin feels after using a Goodwipe … it's like magic! We have something really special here!"
That's debatable. Still, an A for effort on a tiny budget.