Sometimes life literally stinks, and the best thing to do about it is laugh it off.
At least that’s what improv comedy group Upright Citizens Brigade and 150 students at BU Central tried to do Saturday night as part of the “What Stinks?” Febreze campaign targeting college students.
The Brigade interviewed students from the crowd, asking them about the good and the bad in their lives. Using the answers, the five comedians improvised several skits that often stretched the students’ answers, and just as often brought about roars of laughter.
“I really liked how [the comedians] incorporated the student interviews into their sketches,” said College of Communication freshman Nora Dunne. “It made it really easy for me to relate to their jokes.”
While some students said they had not heard of Upright Citizens Brigade before, others said they were excited BU hosted the comedy troupe.
“I marked [the comedy show] on my calendar a long time ago,” said College of Fine Arts freshman Marlena Rodriguez, the first student interviewed by the comedians.
The comedy tour began in October with a performance at the University of Washington and ends in December. The troupe plans on visiting Florida State, Iowa State and Rutgers universities. At the campus visits, Febreze representatives give shirts and prizes away for free to promote their product.
By visiting college campuses and campaigning through Facebook.com, Febreze is trying to reach a younger audience, said Ross Holthouse, the external relations manager at Procter ‘ Gamble, which owns Febreze.
“We know that the market of 18- to 24-year-old consumers is a primary driver of trends in our society,” Holthouse said. “They are also at a position where they are starting to develop lifelong preferences on products.”