Every PR professional’s heart starts to race when they see that their client is trending on social media or all over the news. Why? Because a viral moment can feel like catching lightning in a bottle. You want to move fast but not so fast that you make a misstep.
NST was faced with this tightrope moment in 2023 when we discovered that the New York-based art collective MSCHF had created “Smells Like WD-40” – a cologne mimicking the scent of our client’s iconic WD-40® Multi-Use Product.
Known for their unpredictable and unauthorized limited releases that often satirize popular brands, MSCHF has a history of generating both attention and legal battles with creations like the Lil Nas X Satan Shoes, the Tyga Wavy Baby Shoes and the Big Red Boots. Their drops are unique, buzz worthy and reach a dedicated fan base of Gen Z and Millennials who are willing drop a pretty penny on something exclusive.
Once we saw articles in Highsnobiety and PAPER Magazine, we jumped into action. The cologne sold out in minutes, so we knew we had to move fast if we wanted to leverage the moment to our advantage, as this moment would soon fade. Working closely with the WD-40® Brand team, we crafted a plan to respond to the cologne and attract new, younger brand fans while we were at it.
Of course, we would need to get the legal team on board. In many cases, legal teams would be sending a cease and desist when an unauthorized product was released, but in this case, the marketing team was able to help the legal team understand this moment as an opportunity, instead of a threat.
The result? A playful post on Instagram that responded to MSCHF’s cologne launch while addressing the legal stipulations. By carefully recreating MSCHF’s original announcement post with a clever twist – featuring a can of WD-40 Multi-Use Product in place of the cologne – we managed to seize the moment while maintaining brand integrity. The results exceeded expectations:
- The post became WD-40 Brand’s most successful social media post ever, reaching over 800,000 potential fans
- The Brand gained 2,300 new followers and generated buzz across social platforms, including Instagram, Facebook and TikTok reaching an estimated 18 million users
- The Brand and NST earned coverage in PR Week, positioning WD-40 Brand as an agile, modern brand
In 2024, MSCHF announced the reintroduction of the cologne, alongside a new scent “Smells Like Fabuloso” which gave our client another opportunity to jump back into the conversation, this time with much more lead time.
The lesson? Strategic risk-taking, combined with thoughtful execution, can transform unexpected moments into powerful brand opportunities. The ability to navigate viral moments by analyzing quickly and collaborating effectively turned what could have been a crisis into a significant win for our client.
Curious how our strategy-first approach has helped other clients maneuver both the expected and the unexpected? Check out our other case studies.
