A saucy commercial from a men’s grooming brand has been ripped off the air after a wave of ‘woke’ viewers filed complaints.
Beard oil company Wild Willies released a tongue-in-cheek ad showing a man whose facial hair was so impressive from using their product that it caused females’ underwear to drop to the ground.
The three-minute commercial, which leads with a woman declaring ‘my husband’s a panty dropper’, launched in May and was meant to be a cheeky promotion targeted at men looking for fuller beards.
But Wild Willies claim some viewers have ‘got their knickers in a twist’, branding it ‘vulgar and perverse’ and have demanded it be removed from screens.
‘I think some viewers were also being a bit too woke about the campaign message,’ said president of Wild Willies Steve Capitani.
Beard oil company Wild Willies said their ‘panty dropper’ commercial has been pulled from the air over ‘woke’ complaints
The advert focuses on wife who said her husband’s facial hair was so impressive from using the product that female onlookers’ underwear dropped to the ground
‘Some people did look at the words “panty dropper” being used in the campaign and looked at this as if our products did this, so I could understand the concern.
‘I would say these people are overreacting and they’re getting their knickers in a twist. Our humor is not for everyone just like other people’s humor is not for us.’
Since airing on YouTube, the campaign has racked nearly two million views with Capitani claiming it’s helped boost their sales by up to 20 percent.
However, numerous television channels pulled the commercial after receiving complaints and told the brand they would have to change the ‘obscene’ advert to run it.
One online campaign group named One Million Moms were so appalled by it they launched a specific campaign against it to get it removed from their screens.
The disgusted campaigners labelled the commercial as ‘highly inappropriate’ and are petitioning for the ‘vulgar’ marketing campaign to be cancelled.
On their website One Million Moms titled the post: ‘Urge Wild Willies to cancel its vulgar commercial.’
The three-minute commercial leads with a woman declaring ‘my husband’s a panty dropper’
The campaign has racked nearly two million views on YouTube helped boost their sales by up to 20 percent
The post reads: ‘Wild Willies offends conservative parents in its newest commercial, “Ready to Become a Panty Dropper.”
‘The company sells men’s beard grooming products, but its current advertising takes an unnecessary and inappropriate approach.
‘Obviously, Wild Willies has deliberately decided to produce controversial advertisements instead of wholesome ones.’
The brand shared some of the complaints they had received from viewers and even those that had been passed on by networks.
One complaint email that the brand received stated: ‘Both my son and I have essentially permanent beards. I am 58 and he is 27.
‘We both recently became aware of your product line from a friend who shared your “panty dropping” ad.
‘We both watched it and agreed it is not clever, cute, or humorous. It is in many ways sad and arguably perverse and certainly gratuitous if your product is as effective as you claim.
‘Some in advertising believe any publicity, even bad publicity, is an effective way to gain attention and possible customers.’
One channel passed on a complaint that read: ‘Channel 6 had a commercial yesterday and believes it was from Wild Willies men’s beard trimming commercial.
President of Wild Willies Steve Capitani (center) said some viewers have ‘got their knickers in a twist’ branding the ad ‘vulgar and perverse’
Wild Willies describes the company as a ‘no non-sense beard care and grooming brand that helps men on their journey with simple solutions’
‘It depicted women who were losing their underwear and she was totally disgusted and cannot believe things have sunk so low that they have to watch women losing their underwear on tv. She appreciates all of us but that commercial is obscene and please take it off the air, children can see that.’
Another channel said to the brand: ‘We have unfortunately had complaints about the creative for Wild Willies, would you have another spot that doesn’t reference the ‘panty dropping’?’
A third channel reported: ‘I have some unfortunate news, but we have had numerous complaints from viewers regarding the Manskape/Wild Willies spot and we are pulling it.
‘[Unless] there is another commercial that doesn’t have the “panty dropping” line or video of the ladies with their panties dropping, we will not be able to air it.’
However the advert earned a much more positive reception on social media, with the majority taking to Facebook to praise the clip as ‘hilarious’ and ‘more like an episode of Modern Family than a commercial’.
‘Best commercial I’ve seen in a decade. I actually wanted to watch the whole video, and now I want to try this product,’ one user wrote.
‘Love all the great products at Wild Willie’s. Makes my beard feel, look and smell great. Hilarious commercial btw, I have the same effect on the ladies,’ another commented.
‘Wait this is a commercial? I thought I was watching Modern Family for a minute. This is hilarious,’ a third person said.
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