Owen Wilson Does Steve Jobs Impression for Beauty Startup Ad

It took very little convincing to let Wilson have a hand in the copywriting, Holliday said, given his Oscar nomination for best original screenplay for The Royal Tenenbaums.

The brand hooked up with Wilson earlier this year, debuting a trend-forward “get ready with me” video to boost the gender-neutral brand. This week’s effort, “Meet Moisture,” which announces a trio of new products, is the second digital ad.

Unexpected choice

California Naturals—which distributes via its website, Amazon and in Target nationally—wanted a celebrity to help it quickly establish itself in a jam-packed, commoditized category.

But aligning with a woman seemed “too expected,” according to founder Shelby Wild, a serial entrepreneur in the beauty industry.

“Consumers are feeling fatigued because it seems like every female celebrity has a beauty line,” Wild said. “We wanted to do something a little different, more playful and breathe life back into the mass space.”

Surf’s up

Execs decided to approach Wilson because they thought he fit well with the brand. The actor is a Texas native, yet has a surfer dude image and beachy, memorable hair. (He told the California Naturals team that he’s a frequent Pacific Ocean swimmer.)

“He lives the Southern California lifestyle of the brand,” Wild said.

Through a fortuitous connection—Holliday’s husband, Frank Walsh, is a brand consultant-talent manager with ties to Wilson—the match was made.

Wilson, whose involvement with the brand extends from R&D and testing to company direction, is narrating ads that focus on product attributes. And, Wild said, he may also inspire a future male-skewing line.