Olympic Gymnast Puts the Spin in Spin Cycle for Parody Washing Machine Campaign

Samsung has teamed up with Olympic gold medal winner Max Whitlock to launch a new perfume which aims to capture the very essence of fresh laundry. The British athlete stars in a new campaign from Samsung that gently mocks traditional perfume ads. Max emulates some of the world’s most famous ads and showcases his impressive pommel horse moves on top of the machine as he promotes the new perfume created by the tech company.

The unisex fragrance ‘Freshly Laundered – Eco Edition’ has been specially created to mark the launch of Samsung’s new ecobubble washing machine. The bottle is an exact replica of the eco-friendly machine and will be available free to the first purchasers of the new ecobubble from the brand’s flagship London space*.

The fully integrated campaign has been devised by multi-award winning creative shop Taylor Herring and encompasses a hero ad spot alongside digital, OOH and PR assets. The hero spot, which will premiere on the UK’s biggest screen at Piccadilly Circus, pays homage to Brad Pitt’s infamous commercials for Channel No.5 - with our greatest young Olympian in philosophical and moody mode as he ponders the mysteries of life and laundry.

Creative shop Taylor Herring produced the content which includes a hero ad spot alongside OOH, PR and digital content.

The Team GB Olympian sends up some of the industry’s clichés by seductively running his hand over the edge of a washing machine and spraying himself with perfume before sniffing a Union Jack flag. Max can also be seen putting his spin on well-loved and celebrated ads such as Dolce & Gabbana’s Light Blue commercial (originally starring David Gandy) and Versace’s 2014 advert for Eros in a series of witty pastiche style posters for the new fragrance.

Expert perfumer Sarah McCartney created the special scent to perfectly capture the smell of fresh laundry following research which revealed that Brits rate the smell of clean clothes as their favourite scent. The final fragrance contains four musks which evoke the smell of a fresh garden and fresh water, paired with aromas of lily of the valley.

The latest ecobubble is Samsung’s most eco-friendly model yet, bringing together some of its most powerful technologies to cut down on wash times and energy consumption. It has been specially designed to address these issues by simplifying the laundry experience. It is packed with ways to ease the load and comes with a new, simple-to-use interface as well as intelligent laundry care, saving time and hassle as well as stains. The advanced technology cuts washing time and maximises the effectiveness of detergent to give a faster clean, while the Smart Control + technology learns users’ behavioural patterns to recommend cycles, offering a personalised laundry experience.

Max Whitlock said: “This new Samsung machine is an amazing piece of kit – it washes clothes brilliantly but also doubles up as a perfect pommel horse. The perfume smells amazing too – we athletes spend much of their working lives surrounded by sweaty kit so we appreciate the refreshing  smell of clean laundry more than most! I had a huge amount of fun creating a range of spoof ads for the new Samsung ecobubble, it’s even better knowing that I’m helping to launch a product that’s eco-friendly and is making a difference to the environment”

Head of marketing digital appliances at Samsung Electronics UK Ltd, Ruth Story, added: “The UK has officially spoken; our favourite smell is fresh and clean laundry and we’re thrilled to be celebrating the launch of the Samsung ecobubble with our very own bespoke perfume. The Samsung ecobubble washing machine has been designed to incorporate some our most advanced technology which will help us all wash more economically whilst still getting a great wash performance.”

The new ‘Freshly Laundered – Eco Edition’ fragrance is available to customers who purchase a new ecobubble washing machine from Samsung’s flagship experience space Samsung KX in Coal Drops Yard, King’s Cross. A select number of bottles of the new scent will also be made available to win via Samsung’s social channels. Head over to @SamsungUK to find out more.