A racy commercial for a men’s grooming brand has been pulled from air after a wave of “woke” viewers filed complaints.
The beard oil company Wild Willies ran a mocking ad featuring a man whose facial hair was so impressive from using their product that it caused women’s underwear to fall to the floor.
The three-minute commercial, which opens with a woman saying “my husband is a panty dropper,” launched in May and was intended as a cheeky promotion aimed at men looking to grow a fuller beard.
However, Wild Willies claims that some viewers are “ashamed of it”, calling the series “vulgar and perverse” and demanding that it be removed from the screens.
“I think some viewers were also a little too awake to the campaign message,” said Wild Willies President Steve Capitani.
Beard oil company Wild Willies said its ‘panty dropper’ advert has been pulled due to ‘woke’ complaints
The commercial focuses on a woman who said her husband’s facial hair was so impressive from using the product that female bystanders’ panties fell to the floor
‘Some people looked at the term “panty dropper” used in the campaign and saw it as if our products were doing that, so I could understand the concern.
“I would say these people are exaggerating and messing up their pants. Our humor is not for everyone, just like the humor of others is not for us.”
Since the campaign aired on YouTube, it has been viewed nearly two million times, and Capitani claims it has increased their revenue by 20 percent.
However, several television stations pulled the ad after receiving complaints, telling the brand they had to modify the “obscene” ad in order to air it.
An online action group called One Million Moms was so shocked by it that they started a specific campaign against the video to have it removed from their screens.
Outraged campaigners have called the advert “highly inappropriate” and are calling for the “vulgar” marketing campaign to be cancelled.
On their website, One Million Moms, the following caption accompanied the post: ‘Urgently Urge Wild Willies to Remove Their Vulgar Advertising.’
The three-minute commercial opens with a woman saying, “My husband is a panty dropper.”
The campaign generated nearly two million views on YouTube, increasing their sales by 20 percent
The message reads: ‘Wild Willies offends conservative parents in its latest commercial, “Ready to Become a Panty Dropper.”
‘The company sells beard care products for men, but the current advertising is unnecessary and inappropriate.
“It’s clear that Wild Willies made a conscious decision to make controversial ads instead of healthy ones.”
The brand shared a number of complaints it had received from viewers as well as those passed on by the networks.
In a complaint email received by the brand, it said: ‘Both my son and I have basically permanent beards. I am 58 and he is 27.
‘We both recently became aware of your product line through a friend who shared your ‘panty dropping’ ad.
“We both watched it and agreed that it’s not clever, cute or humorous. It’s sad in many ways and perhaps perverse and certainly gratuitous if your product is as effective as you claim.
‘Some people in the advertising world believe that any publicity, even bad publicity, is an effective way to attract attention and potential customers.’
One channel passed on a complaint stating: ‘Channel 6 had an advert yesterday and think it was for Wild Willies, an advert for men’s beard trimming.
Wild Willies president Steve Capitani (center) said some viewers had “messed their pants” and called the ad “vulgar and perverse.”
Wild Willies describes the company as a ‘no-nonsense beard care and grooming brand that helps men on their journey with simple solutions’
‘It showed women losing their underwear and she was absolutely disgusted and couldn’t believe it had gotten to this point where they have to see women losing their underwear on TV. She appreciates all of us but that advert is obscene and please take it off the air, children can see that.’
Another channel told the brand: ‘We’ve unfortunately received complaints about the creative side of Wild Willies. Can you make another commercial that doesn’t reference the ‘panty dropping’?’
A third broadcaster reported: ‘I have some bad news, but we have had a lot of complaints from viewers about the Manskape/Wild Willies advert and that is why we are pulling the advert.
‘[Unless] “There is another commercial without the phrase ‘drop the panties’ or a video of the ladies dropping their panties. We can’t air that.”
However, the commercial was received much more positively on social media, with the majority of viewers taking to Facebook to praise the clip as “hilarious” and “more like an episode of Modern Family than an ad.”
“Best commercial I’ve seen in 10 years. I actually wanted to watch the whole video and now I want to try this product,” one user wrote.
‘I love all the great products at Wild Willie’s. They make my beard feel, look and smell amazing. Hilarious commercial btw, I have the same effect on the ladies,’ commented another.
“Wait, this is a commercial? I thought I was watching Modern Family for a second. This is hilarious,” a third person said.