LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- When then-Kentucky quarterback Will Levis squirted a blob of mayonnaise into his coffee in a now-famous social media video with his girlfriend, it was kind of a joke, one in a line of quirky posts designed to get a bit of attention and to get people talking about a player who had felt overlooked during his time at Penn State.
At Kentucky, Levis found more playing time, more of a platform and became a breakout player on the field. He wound up being drafted with the first pick of the second round by the Tennessee Titans and should be the day one starter for Tennessee in his second season.
But he's been in line for big sponsorship dollars in the NFL from the start. As soon as he signed his rookie deal, Hellman's Mayonnaise signed him, releasing a video touting his "lifetime supply of mayonnaise" as the payoff.
On Tuesday, the Levis and the brand kicked it up a notch, releasing a video for Will Levis No. 8 Parfum de Mayonnaise, complete with a full landing page, which touts the scent's "whisper of parsley ... subtle coffee undertones ... (and) sensual musk base."
Levis leaned into the typical fragrance-ad performance, with plenty of whisky camera shots, whispered narration and an obligatory shot laying on a beach — while dipping his finger into a mayo jar and taking a taste.
A press release from the company, which calls Levis a "condiment icon," says, "The fragrance was crafted to harness the tantalizing scent of the world's most alluring condiment – mayonnaise. Developed to exude an aura of greatness, the curated scent helps football fans feel and smell ready for game day (and every day!)."
A look at the website says the scent is "sold out," but promotes a new supply as being available at 10 a.m. every day.
For Levis, it's another step in a promising marketing career.
"With the launch of my signature scent, I've fulfilled a lifelong dream of partnering with Hellmann's to craft a fragrance like no other, one truly embodying the distinct scent of greatness," Levis said in the release. "Rich and creamy, Will Levis No. 8 is more than a mayonnaise-inspired fragrance. It's transformative. I've eaten mayo, drank mayo, and now I can smell like mayo."
The fragrance even had a rollout story from Food & Wine magazine. Levis told them that Hellman's took the scent seriously, even if the video is tongue-in-cheek.
With notes of Tart Lemon, Mayonnaise Accord, Coffee Undertones, Musk and Vanilla, Will Levis No. 8 is the first mayo-inspired fragrance available to consumers.
"The Hellmann's team worked closely with the perfumer to ensure that the fragrance was representative of me and what I can showcase on the football field," he told Food & Wine in an email. "They went through several rounds of testing, and I think they did a really great job nailing it with the finished product."
To take the next step in his NFL career (and perhaps open more sponsorship doors), Levis will need to build off his promising rookie year with the Titans. Tennessee has done some work to put him in position to do that, signing free agent wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd, as well as a pair of running backs to try to offset the loss of veteran mainstay Derek Henry, now with the Baltimore Ravens.
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