Smelling Trouble

It sounds like an adman's daydream: instead of agonizing about picking a flashy name for a new product, choose the name first, design an ad campaign around it--and then create the product. Jack Cantwell thought it could be done, and when he formed an ad agency in March 1970, he set his staff to thinking up names for a men's cologne. Shortly after, Creative Director Jerry Weinman tossed at Cantwell a crumpled wad of paper that had "trouble" written all over it. To Cantwell, it sounded like a sexy name suggesting that the man who wore the product would be in delightful trouble with the girls who caught his scent.

Mennen Co. executives duly designed an aftershave lotion and cologne that they hoped would match the name. Some users might not think it does; the product has a faintly antiseptic odor reminiscent of pine air fresheners. No matter; since Mennen introduced the product nationally on Oct. 11 ($2.50 for the lotion, $3.50 for the cologne), Cantwell has drenched the nation with TV and radio spots, lapel buttons and newspaper ads stressing the cologne's long-lasting effects ("a little Trouble in the morning and you've got Trouble all day long"). So far, Mennen reports sales doing exceptionally well. But officials will not know until Christmas if they have a winner or . . . well . . . trouble.

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