For its new fragrance Connected, Kenneth Cole Reaction launched the Connecting 101 campaign, which targets young male college students and urban professionals. The campaign combines strategic digital, social and experiential platforms and extensions, including an edgy webseries, directed by Rooster’s Kurt Lustgarten and starring Canadian writer, comedian and cult hipster, Gavin McInnes.

Connected has a bottle that features a blue metallic finish and a carabiner, which represents the fast-paced lifestyle of the modern guy, according to the brand. The scent features top notes of violet leaf and mangosteen, with middle notes of cedrat, and clary sage from the salvia plant. The base of the fragrance is built around mahogany wood and tobacco.

RJW Collective collaborated with the company for Connecting 101. The five comedic webisodes feature McInnes as the “connecting expert,” inserting himself into various dating scenarios as a guy makes a major misstep in getting the girl. With quick advice from McInnes, as well as a spray of Connected, the guy transforms into a self-assured, confident and intuitive man.

“Through the web series, and the Connecting 101 campaign on the whole, we set out to position in a new and provocative way the Connected fragrance and Kenneth Cole Reaction at large as a brand that understands its consumer and how they interact with brands. We wanted to position Connected as the tool that helps guys find both their personal identity and social persona,” said Toby Nathan, RJW Collective copywriter and the creative director for the campaign.

For more information see www.connectedkcr.com, which went live last Thursday.