Eos Asks “Are You Cake?” in Big Game Spot Starring Mikey Day
‘Is It Cake?’ The question has been on America’s lips since the rise of the 2022 Netflix game show which invites contestants to discern whether everyday items are what they seem or if they are, in fact, cake. After players make their choice, a sharp knife is produced to reveal if the item is indeed sliceable.
Ahead of Sunday, that’s the energy beauty brand eos is taking into the Big Game. Created in partnership with agency Mischief @ No fixed Address, the ad features comedian and host of the show ‘Is it Cake?’, Mikey Day.
Directed by Terri Timely (Ian & Corey) of Park Pictures, the film sees the star ask contestants to identify the cake in the room, but things take a turn when an unwitting boom operator wearing the new eos Pistachio Cashmere Body Mist becomes the main suspect, with the contestant thinking she, in fact, is made of cake due to her sweet smell.
The scents have noses doing the guessing, repeatedly mistaking people for dessert, and leading host Mikey to chase the boom operator for the final slice.
Carley Caldas, VP of brand marketing and media at eos products, tells LBB, “We didn’t invent the ‘these scents eat’ language – our community did. There was already this fandom forming around how indulgent and addictive our scents felt, and people were describing them like treats.” She says the cakes became eos’ way of honouring that social conversation, making it physical and further amplifying the ‘Is It Cake?’ creative, all while engaging the fan base.
For Carley, the hyperrealism of the drop is what will have people talking. “The Cashmere Cakes are meticulously modelled after the eos Cashmere Body Mists and infused with vanilla flavouring inspired by vanilla cashmere, making them look almost indistinguishable from the real product. We took something intangible like scent and turned it into something you can actually see and crave.
“Cakes are such a universal symbol of indulgence, so that playful collision of beauty and dessert creates an unexpected moment people can’t help but share and discuss.”
Zoe Myers, associate creative director at Mischief, who helped bring the idea to life with associate creative director Kelsey Heard, said, “The campaign was largely a reaction to native social conversations. We saw one user comment that eos smelt so yummy, they almost ate their arm off.” Zoe said the hyperbolic spirit inspired them to flip the viral ‘Is It Cake?’ trend to ask, ‘Are You Cake?’
“And in a landscape where it’s increasingly hard to keep it simple, eos and Mischief really trusted in the power of a simple idea (while simultaneously not trusting anything at all because everything is cake).”
The ‘These Scents Eat’ campaign includes custom 30-second and 15-second spots running across TV/CTV, online video and paid social, with media planning and buying for the campaign led by Tinuiti.
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