The “White masked man” created a wave of publicity across the globe by turning up at a series of exclusive red carpet events with different female celebrities. Afterwards the public were left guessing as to his identity. Some even suggested that it was Michael Jackson in the mask.To aid the mystery further we also created his very own Facebook site.After four weeks, it was unveiled that it was a campaign for the Van Gils brand under the theme: ‘It’s all about the suit’. The press and billboards were used to connect the brand to the mannequin who had, in the meantime, become an international star. Then, real mannequins with his face were placed in Van Gils window displays, an online campaign started and his own fan-site went live. In addition, a stream of P.O.S. materials and sales brochures were sent to prospective customers. These materials contained tips and tricks about suits and an explanation of what makes a Van Gils suit so special.

Within a month, the campaign had yielded a PR spin-off worth 4 million Euros, spread over 20 countries and approximately 265 articles. The Trade-in sales (presales) increased during the first 2 months after the reveal (during the first big peak of the recession) with 7%. Within 3 weeks of the reveal, the website had received unique visitors from 103 countries. In just 2 months Van Gils had risen from nowhere to take the number 2 position in the Netherlands (it’s main market) regarding aided and unaided awareness.