Vol. 112 Dr. Squatch: Blunt about balls 🧽

Case Studied
Talk about balls

Men’s grooming products typically emphasize confidence and freshness without getting too specific about what areas need grooming. 

In recent years, that’s started to change. Brands like Manscaped, Old Spice, and Dollar Shave Club began leaning into more humorous and shock-driven messaging. But even still, they stop short of directly addressing the most taboo parts of men’s bodies. 

Dr. Squatch didn’t. 

This week, Case Studied explores how Dr. Squatch racked up 11.5 billion media impressions for a product launch campaign.

The Brief

Dr. Squatch, named after Sasquatch, was founded in 2013 as a natural soap brand built around a direct-to-consumer model. The brand made its name through irreverent marketing that focused on satire, exaggerated masculinity, and entertainment. 

Over time, Dr. Squatch expanded from bar soap to deodorant, hair care, skincare, and fragrance. And when the brand created a new line of “Ball Care” products, they wanted to create a disruptive, memorable launch moment that would grab headlines. 

To do that, Dr. Squatch first dove into the data. A survey revealed that 81% of men experience concerns below the belt like hygiene. According to the brand, 73% of men struggle with excessive sweating and 70% deal with persistent odor, yet only 33% of men take action to address these issues. 

Knowing that men often feel embarrassed or uncomfortable discussing personal care needs tied to intimate areas, Dr. Squatch sought to subvert the cultural taboos around male hygiene. Their data showed that men respond well to marketing that approaches uncomfortable topics with humor and candor (rather than clinical messaging). So their Ball Care launch campaign

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The Execution

To bring the Ball Care launch to life, Dr. Squatch partnered with agency Made You Feel. 

The campaign was centered on a partnership with Nick Cannon and leaned into the cultural buzz around his large family of 12 children. Dr. Squatch secured a (legitimate) $10 million insurance policy on the Cannon’s “golden gonads.” They humorously claimed the $10 million figure came from Dr. Squatch’s interactive Ball Valuation Tool, which was available for any visitor to access online.

To get word out about the stunt, the brand made a hero video featuring Cannon that claimed he had the “Most valuable balls in the world.” From there, an extensive PR campaign ensued, complete with outreach plans, press materials, and pitches that targeted over 50 media outlets. 

The brand also executed a social media blitz across platforms. And on launch day, they dropped exclusive interviews with Cannon and Dr. Squatch’s VP of Marketing, John Ludeke. 

It’s worth noting that the Ball Care campaign fits squarely within Dr. Squatch’s broader pattern of headline-driven marketing. Previous campaigns include:

• 🧼 Dr. Squatch’s first YouTube video, when the brand gambled $18,000 on a three-minute explainer-style spot starring comedian James Schrader
• 🏈 You’re not a dish, you’re a man, when the brand launched its first Super Bowl ad (and saw sales double on game day)
• 🌀 Big Bricc Energy, when the brand partnered with hypnotist Richard Barker on a campaign meant to help boost men’s self-confidence
• 🏰 Manlandia, when the brand created a hyper-masculine fantasy world starring Alan Ritchson that parodies traditional ideas of masculinity
• 🛁 Bathwater Bliss, when the brand created a limited-edition soap made with actor Sydney Sweeney’s bathwater.

The Results

Dr. Squatch’s Ball Care launch campaign secured over 800 press placements across digital, radio, TV, and print outlets. Those placements led to a whopping 11.5 billion impressions. 

On social, the campaign generated 125 million impressions across Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube. The brand also saw significant website traffic as thousands of men used the Ball Valuation Tool.

The Takeaways

1) Listen closely to your consumer data.

Dr. Squatch’s survey data identified both a product idea and a cultural opportunity. Those insights informed the product, the messaging, and the marketing roadmap. Thanks to that data, the brand could effectively market a product that their consumers didn’t even want to admit they needed. 

It’s not always enough to be aware of your customer’s challenges. Knowing what kind of messaging they respond to can be equally as impactful. Gather data that specifically answers these questions so you can build campaigns that bridge all the gaps. 

2) Humor can lower defenses where education alone can’t.

Rather than approaching ball care clinically, Dr. Squatch used humor to remove shame and spark curiosity. The joke wasn’t at the audience’s expense. It was an invitation to engage.

Consider whether humor can act as a bridge to education. This doesn’t just apply to sensitive subjects, either. When was the last time you saw a B2B campaign that made you laugh? That kind of approach can work wonders in helping you stand out. 

3) Earned media can scale without inflating budgets.

Insuring Nick Cannon’s gonads worked so well because it felt native to entertainment culture. The stunt translated cleanly across press, social, and casual conversation, without seeming like manufactured marketing. 

If earned media is your goal, design ideas that journalists and audiences would talk about even if your logo wasn’t attached. Aim for entertainment that also happens to be aligned with your brand message.

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