Scent Lab
You can’t smell like an NBA superstar. But now your Kia can.
Momentum and Kia came to Versus to concept and craft the launch of a promotional and social campaign to promote Kia as the Official Automotive Partner of the NBA.
We worked alongside the team to develop a concept that unveiled Kia’s newest innovation: air fresheners with the “distinct in-game musk” of your favorite NBA teams.
To cast our talent we took to improv studios across New York, meeting top performers from The Pit, UCB, and Improv NYC, all in search of an actor that could embody a role that was one part Christopher Guest and one part Jonathan Ive. With Ed Herbstman, we found that perfect combination of someone who could consistently stay in character, and always deliver their lines with a straight face, no matter how ridiculous it might sound to the viewer.
Shot entirely at Bravo Stages, Versus production designers were challenged to create a convincing laboratory entirely on a set, using minimalist production design. While compact, and shot to appear as if the lab is part of a much larger institution, the set build was expansive and provided for smaller areas for vignettes, such as when our aromachologist is raiding the locker room for stray hairs. When combined with beautifully lit cinematography and clever blocking, Versus was able to sell through the idea that this was a window into an actual working lab with ease.