Dusk casts a spell with The Bachelor’s Tim Robards in 2025 Halloween campaign
To celebrate the launch of its “A Halloween Affair” collection, home fragrance brand Dusk has delivered a witchy campaign starring Tim Robards — the first Australian Bachelor.
Developed in-house, the creative focuses on a one-minute, 17-second film depicting a loveless witch whose newly brewed potion summons Robards to her door. But before she can receive a kiss from the reality TV star, he disappears, and the witch finds herself holding a skull candle.
Dusk’s chief marketing officer Jeremy Taylor said the witch idea was drawn directly from one of the Halloween Affair’s products.
“The collection is inspired and designed by our in-house product team. As a part of our Halloween collection this year we have a story & fragrance called ‘Love Potion’,” Taylor told Mumbrella.
“So ‘Love Potion’ inspired the story of using the witch to create the man of her dreams, which was the Bachelor. So that inspired us to pull together that story.
“The overarching theme of the collection is a bit more whimsical, a little bit more gothic, and features the witch through the storytelling alongside traditional Halloween things like pumpkins, black cats & spells which appear in the campaign.”
The decision to include Robards, who rose to fame in 2013 as the star of reality dating show The Bachelor, was an obvious one for the brand. According to Taylor, the team knew the campaign needed a “social friendly” hook, and the idea to cast Robards was a lightbulb moment.
“When we came up with the story of creating the love interest for the witch and creating the perfect bachelor, it came to us straight away that we should find a hook that is going to be social friendly,” Taylor said. “So we thought what better person to use than the original bachelor from the Bachelor TV show? And we spoke to Tim’s agent and he was on board.”
The witch and Tim Robards
“I’m sure I’ve had a witch’s hex or two placed on me post Bachelor days, but I think it’s a first to be in a witch’s book of love potions — I’ve been known to conjured up some magical romance myself, but this Halloween it’s about candles, spells, and sparks of a different kind,” Robards said in a media release.
“A Halloween Affair is cheeky, romantic, and just a little haunting (just like my marriage) — and exactly how Halloween should be.”
The campaign will play out in market across Dusk’s digital channels, with a particular focus on social media including Tiktok, Instagram and Facebook. It will also run throughout the home fragrance brand’s 150 bricks-and-mortar stores.
The collection — which features candles with fragrances such as Perfect Pumpkin and Boo-tterscotch Apple and Sweet Spell — is available online and in stores from August 26.
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Matthew is the editorial assistant at Mumbrella. He joined the company at the end of September 2023.
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