Joe Jonas is making fragrance advertising a little less serious.

The singer has been named the global ambassador for Kenneth Cole’s new Inspire Eau de Toilette, but instead of delivering the usual brooding cologne campaign, Jonas helped turn the launch into a full-blown joke.

He co-wrote an original power ballad about the fragrance, performs it in the campaign film and even climbs onto a giant Inspire bottle. The video, directed by Anthony Mandler, leans into the dramatic clichés of fragrance advertising while deliberately taking them to ridiculous places.

The scent itself is considerably more straightforward. Created by perfumer Christine Hassan with Parlux and Givaudan, Inspire combines bergamot, black pepper and grapefruit with cedarwood and amber.

Jonas said he wanted viewers to wonder whether the campaign was serious before realising the joke. Kenneth Cole was apparently happy to play along, with the designer saying the idea of parodying themselves came from Jonas.

Priced at $35 for 30ml and $75 for 100ml, Inspire is launching at Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack before expanding to additional markets.

Apparently, smelling good does not have to take itself seriously.