Situation

Clear, the world’s number 1 men’s shampoo brand, has built a strong reputation as the experts of scalp care for its effective anti-dandruff solutions. However, its Scalp Pro range, featuring a powerful anti-hairfall serum, remains relatively unknown. This gap in awareness presents an opportunity for Clear to expand its market presence to meet the increasing demand for comprehensive scalp care solutions.

Brief

Because Clear Men Scalp Pro aids in preventing hair loss, our task was to encourage all men to use it, not just those who are already far along in their balding journey. To achieve this, we needed a campaign that not only captures men's attention but also compels them to take proactive steps early on.

Objectives

To enlighten and educate men on the importance of scalp care and increase sales of Clear Men Scalp Pro as the preventive solution for male pattern baldness.

Men often overlook the importance of scalp care until all (hair) is lost, an issue that needed to be tackled head-on. That’s why Clear, the world’s number 1 men’s shampoo, pioneered an audacious outdoor medium by utilising the very thing it is fighting against – bald spots. Bald patches on men’s heads were transformed into ad spaces for Clear Men Scalp Pro, an anti-hair fall serum.

Each bald spot featured a message that contextualised its specific state of baldness. The headlines were precisely designed to fit the unique contours of the bald patterns they sat on. These walking billboards were then unleashed onto the bustling streets of Istanbul, the hair transplant capital of the world, infiltrating places where men congregate. Not only did they capture the attention of men, they showcased the importance of preventive scalp care, and provided men with an effective solution.

Clear's existing research and on-the-ground insights revealed that 85% of men would experience male pattern balding by age 50, and they typically begin seeking treatments for balding only after experiencing significant hair loss. Clear recognised the need to engage all men directly, regardless of the severity of their balding, before it was too late. This meant moving away from traditional media that’s often overlooked to look for new forms of media that were impossible for men to ignore.

So, if men only showed concern about scalp care when personally impacted, the approach was to shift their attention to real-life examples that illustrated what could befall them should they not take preventive measures early on. However, given that male pattern baldness is a delicate matter for many, the strategy was to avoid fear tactics, and instead adopt a light-hearted approach to engage the audience in a positive and relatable manner.

A team of brave, bald men was assembled, each sporting their own unique balding pattern that was meticulously analysed and mapped out. Bespoke messages were then crafted to address the shape and degree of baldness they sat on. The headlines were individually designed to fit the contours of the bald spots, exactly.

The activation ran over two weekends and was strategically launched in Turkey, one of Clear’s biggest markets, and also the hair transplant capital of the world. The placement of these ads were also intentionally chosen. Apart from areas with high footfall, the ads were run in spaces often frequented by men, these include gyms, Turkish tea houses and even the shampoo aisle in supermarkets. Our bald billboards even gave out samples to any man who looked like they needed some help. To reach even more men globally, the entire activation was documented and turned into an online film.

Despite its nascency, the campaign has garnered over 7.5 million impressions online, and over 8.6 million in earned media traffic. But more importantly, it managed to kickstart conversations around the taboo topic of hair loss among men.

After the launch, men with bald patterns of all shapes and sizes began speaking up online and reaching out to Clear on their own accord, hilariously offering their bald spots for hire. In turn, Clear reacted quickly and responded to each of them with witty responses, and eventually issued a nationwide invitation for all bald men to submit photos of their bald spots for consideration.

The success of the campaign was also reflected in sales, as we saw a 34% uptick in searches for Clear Men Scalp Pro on popular e-commerce sites. This indicates an evolution in brand perception, expanding beyond its reputation as an anti-dandruff shampoo to highlight its anti-hairfall range.