There’s a new reality dating show. This one is spurred by a live audience and is all about smell. Scented Love is, in fact, a social campaign for Lynx by Sydney social agency, Hello Agency, with a host of celebrities boosting its viral potential. The blind-dating show stars Married at First Sight’s Jamie Marinos and TikToker, Olan Tekkers, as hosts, with a cast chosen from a mix of everyday Aussies and influencers, including Love Island favourites, Callum Hole, Stella Hutcheon, Dylan Towolawi and more.
The show aims to show that the brand’s fragrances – notably new fine fragrance deodorants, Peach Infusion, Cherry Spritz and Cocoa Velvet – have the power to spark attraction, even when you’re blindfolded. One woman will choose from three men, each wearing one of the fragrances, and all four are blindfold so that scent is the only lure.
Live from the beginning of August, the unscripted show unfolds with two long-form episodes and a range of entertaining social-shorts edited for TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Instagram.
The series was built on new research, commissioned by Hello via YouGov, which found that half (51%) of Aussies aged 18-34 report having rejected someone because of their smell and 52% reported that they had purchased their partner a new fragrance to help them smell better.
Unilever personal care director, Anna Tracey, stated, “At Lynx, we know the power fragrance has when it comes to attraction. That’s why we’ve launched our irresistible new Fine Fragrance Collection to give young guys a power up. And what better way to take the attraction game to the next level than through a dating show? We loved Hello’s innovative idea of “Scented Love”, it’s truly an Aussie-first and there are so many hilarious moments, coupled with the Lynx fragrances playing an integral role. We’re confident it’ll resonate with young guys.”
“This was the definition of bold and dare I say, brave. We cast the most infamous reality TV stars with everyday contestants and put them on stage in front of a studio audience to create a live social-first entertainment program. It was like reality TV meets standup comedy. No scripts and nothing off limits. We’re incredibly proud of the crowd feedback and content outputs: Multi-layered live formats are always complex given you are hosting a live audience while also shooting your full episodes and hard-working product social ads. We can’t wait to see the brand impact of this innovative entertainment property with young Aussies,” added Julien Dupuche, director of client solutions at Hello.
Episode one is now live across YouTube with a range of cut-downs and social shorts across TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Instagram, coupled with earned and paid media activity. Episode two is set to go live later in September.
The culture-first campaign is set to run alongside and complement the brand’s above the line activity.
Credits:
Client: Unilever:
Marketing Director – Personal Care ANZ: John McKeon
Personal Care Director at Unilever: Anna Tracey
Marketing Manager – Lynx & Dove Men Care – Deodorant & Skin Cleansing: Amy Doss
Brand Manager Lynx & Dove Men Care – Deodorant & Skin Cleansing: Perry Varol
Social Agency: Hello Agency
Managing Director: Sam Kelly
Director of Client Solutions: Julien Dupuche
Director of Social & Editorial: Ben Stavert
Senior Account Director: Sunny Manadavadi
Producer: Caitlyn Gregson
Account Director – Talent: Jessica Campion
Head of Publicity: Allex Conley
Head of Events: Olivia Watts
Senior Designer & Art Director: Cody Waters
Head of Design: Seamus McShane
Media Agency: Mindshare
Connections Planning Director: Elizabeth Gulliver
Implementation & Activation Director – Performance: Zeeth Bijayananda
Implementation & Activation Manager: Oliver Poiner
Implementation & Activation Manager – Performance: Yang Sun
Film Production: Low Kii
Company Director: Peter Burns
Creative Director: Gus Ronald
Story Producer: Alex Burns
Casting: Jess Hawkins @ Artem Collective
