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McGregor is better with his head down the toilet

Posted in Advertising, Marketing, Arif Durrani, Latest reporters' blogs March 26th, 2008 by Arif Durrani

It was only a few months ago when Davidoff was being investigated by the advertising watchdog ASA after complaints its ads starring Lost actor Josh Holloway encouraged tombstoning – better known as throwing yourself off a cliff. Now the aftershave brand, together with ad agency Swan Media, finds itself in the dock once again, this time for crimes against sentient beings; its current spot starring the once respected Scottish actor Ewan McGregor is as enjoyable as poking your eyeballs out with a pencil.

Of course, beloved Ewan, he of Trainspotting fame, is certainly not the first to be tempted by adland’s bulging wallet, but this campaign for Davidoff’s new aftershave really does stink.

You can see how and why the tie-up came together: McGregor is well-known for his love of travelling and motorbikes, and his BBC adventure documentary Long Way Down is still fresh in the nation’s consciousness. Davidoff had a new aftershave called Adventure which required a suitable male that could ride a bike, look manly yet enlightened, while waxing lyrical in a voiceover.

Unfortunately, this time Ewan wasn’t “choosing life”, but instead opting to sell his soul for another glint in his bank manager’s eye. Despite having seen the ad a few times now to try and figure out exactly why it just doesn’t work, it’s difficult to pin down.

Perhaps it’s the over-earnest manner of his monologue, or the lame emotive words he has to deliver. Maybe it’s just too close a tie-up with his biking documentary, in which we supported and cheered him week-after-week as he conquered the elements and unknown dangers. Or maybe, it’s just because it’s Ewan McGregor.

He’s that rare thing in the world of celebrity, a guy who can appeal to guys just as much as he does to women. Not too smooth, not too desperate. He has (had?) that fine balance previously reserved for the likes of Harrison Ford. He was ok, one of us, a decent guy, and most of all he was credible… Now, as the sun goes down, he’s telling us “he saw something magnificent”, an epiphany nonetheless that has made him see “life in a whole new light”, yes, it is a new “fragrance by Davidoff”. It’s not even called aftershave.

Davidoff should stick to jumping off cliffs.

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