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You thought it was over but it's still here: The top hairy campaigns of 2015

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Marketers fell over themselves to get involved in pink breast cancer awareness promotions during October, but now it's officially Movember, which means lots of agencies and brands engineering promotions around moustaches to help raise money for men's health, and awareness for their brands in the process. I already reported earlier this week on Carlsberg's new range of Beer'd Beauty products from CP+B, but that's just the tip of the ice-berg. Here I've picked out a few of the more notable (and least gimmicky) campaigns, most of which appear to harbour surprisingly benevolent intentions.

Monarch

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For the month of November, British airline Monarch will be known as “Mo-narch” in support of Movember, which means that for the first time in the company’s history, the iconic ‘spotty M’ logo will be replaced with a moustache version, and three of the aircraft in the airline’s fleet will actually be sporting upper lip-warmers for the month. A pretty drastic (and pretty cool) move. Across the group, Monarch staff will also be participating in Movember activity by growing or displaying their own facial hair, and a calendar of competitions and social media activity will keep customers up-to-date on the company’s fund raising efforts. To donate to the Mo-narch network on the Movember page click HERE.

British airline Monarch will be known as “Mo-narch” through November

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Pauline Prow, Chief People Officer at Monarch, said “Movember is a campaign that engages our staff and the public. It’s a lot of fun and although we have to see a variety of facial hair displays throughout the month – it’s worth it to support such a great cause.” Andrew Swaffield, Chief Executive Officer, added: “I’m really pleased to be supporting Movember. It’s an excellent campaign that has personal meaning to my family. As well as being for a great cause it also gives us the opportunity to have some fun both internally and with our customers. It demonstrates how passionate and engaged employees are with the group’s corporate social responsibility.”

OPEN Messenger

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Liverpool-based taxi-top digital advertising company OPEN Messenger are promoting Movember through a range of original artworks celebrating classic Liverpudlian moustaches. The firm will be using their fleet of Hackney cabs mounted with HD screens to feature classic taches from the likes of Paul McCartney, Terry McDermott and fictional character Yosser Hughes. They will all be featured as part of the #ScouseMuzzies social media campaign. OPEN Messenger will also be giving Movember participants the opportunity to have their own moustache made into a piece of #ScouseMuzzies artwork and displayed on cabs around the city.

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OPEN Messenger are promoting Movember through a range of original artworks celebrating classic Liverpudlian moustaches

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Mike Smith, director of OPEN Messenger, said: “We wanted to do something a bit fun, something to encourage as many men as possible to take part and keep up their moustaches for Movember. We want to let men know that it’s a fun and positive way to raise money and bring awareness to men’s health issues.” As an added bonus, anyone who tweets their own moustache to @OpenMessengerUK or posts it on Instagram with the #ScouseMuzzies hashtag will be considered for an admission into the Liverpool facial hair “Hall of fame.” A dubious honour perhaps, but an honour nonetheless.

GSW & LiveTiles

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Healthcare agency GSW and LiveTiles, a global technology company headquartered in Times Square, NYC, have partnered to unveil the Sexy Men of Technology Calendar for Movember 2015. GSW prides itself on their Speak People platform, which strives to impact people's lives by building stories through human truths. For this reason, when LiveTiles came to GSW seeking creative counsel on how to create awareness around men's health beyond Movember, GSW welcomed the challenge. The calendar's message is much more than just humour. Each month highlights a different man of IT, each representing a different technology provider, including LiveTiles, Microsoft and Apple, alongside men's health-related issues. Photography plays off each individual's personality and relevant seasonal activity. Monthly topics include health and fitness; colorectal screening; testicular cancer; skin cancer; healthy eating; hydration; depression; safe sex; and more. Calendars are $35 for printed versions and $20 for digital downloads and can be purchased through the Sexy Men of Technology website. All proceeds will benefit the Movember Foundation.

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GSW and LiveTiles have partnered to unveil the Sexy Men of Technology Calendar for Movember 2015

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GSW president Marci Piasecki, said: “The technology industry is approximately 75% male and 100% of these men have prostates. Prostate cancer is one of the main conditions that Movember focuses on each year. By using humorous insights like this, the hope is this approach will make men take a second look at their health, inspire them to donate to issues that affect men around the globe, and take control over their own health. Being deeply involved in building effective communication solutions in healthcare, we are so proud to support LiveTiles and Movember The level of awareness Movember creates is outstanding and GSW is honoured to be a partner and help spread the message 365 days a year.” Karl Redenbach, co-founder and CEO of LiveTiles, added: “As a company operating in an industry that is predominately male we were looking for a creative way to make some noise around men's health and to encourage men to go to the doctor and take their health seriously. The calendar serves as a great vehicle to convey that message and what better way to do so than through humour.”

Hanes

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Clothing brand Hanes is addressing the demand for high-technology apparel with an extension to its digital advertising for the X-Temp line of T-shirts, socks and underwear for men, designed to keep body temperature low. The company launched X-Temp last year, with social media celebrity Logan Paul, who has a few million followers of his short-form videos on platforms like Vine, Instagram and Twitter. For Hanes he created short videos to attract Millennials, around how the X-Temp products keep wearers cool. The company also touted the line with long-time spokesperson and NBA legend Michael Jordan.

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Hanes and The Martin Agency have launched a digital campaign featuring guys with excessive body hair, with the idea that X-Temp keeps hair heat under control

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This summer, Hanes launched a digital campaign featuring guys with excessive body hair and a fictive hair scientist, with the idea that X-Temp keeps hair heat under control. The new program is timed to coincide with Movember. The effort from The Martin Agency, has an old-school offline element: a phone hotline that involves a humorous phone tree audio effects and music. There is also a tongue-in-cheek social component. As the Movember promotions include encouraging men to grow facial hair, Hanes is also presenting sponsorship of the National Beard & Moustache Championships on November 7. That aspect of the campaign builds on videos and other content for this past summer's Facebook and Twitter effort.

The Movember Foundation

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As for the foundation itself, there are 30 staff in total in the London Movember office, which co-ordinates activity not just in the UK but several other countries across Europe and Africa. UK head of marketing communications Paul Mitcheson leads a team consisting of a digital content manager and a PR manager, alongside a senior PR manager who works two days a week, and temporary social media support brought in during peak periods. The charity has worked with Ketchum for healthcare PR in the UK since last summer.

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Social media is playing a key part of this year's Movember campaign, alongside events such as a photo opportunity organised with fitness initiative Project Awesome

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Social media is playing a key part of the campaign, which is no surprise. Alongside this, events such as a photo opportunity jointly organised with fitness initiative Project Awesome on London's Southbank earlier this week got coverage in The Times, City AM and Huffington Post. It also has an extensive email database built up since it arrived in the UK in 2007, and secures a large amount of free advertising space. Mitcheson said: “We typically don’t pay for advertising, so for example we have a very strong partnership with Dentsu and it helps us get a lot of coverage; typically a lot of outdoor space is secured by it, but it’s mostly pro bono.”

Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer, struggling musician and perpetually hirsute gentleman from Kidderminster in the UK.

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