Brylcreem Boy of the Year competition finalists held at Le Palais. London. England, UK. 26th November 1988
The Brylcreem Boy won the judges' vote for introducing the concept of direct-to-consumer activities into the PR mix. 'It was the first example of successful guerrilla PR, which also bolted fashion onto men's haircare products,' says Mark Borkowski. Popular with grandads everywhere, Brylcreem died a death with the Beatles and was flagging by the mid-1980s. To revitalise its image with a new breed of 16 to 24-year-old males, the Beecham's brand created a hip ad maximise impact, Lynne Franks PR came up with the concept of the Brylcreem Boy, a competition whereby handsome but intelligent young men could win the chance to appear in Brylcreem's ad. In a tie-up with Boots, candidates queued up around the country in their thousands for the chance to take part in regional finals in local nightspots. This generated posters, local media interest and a magazine, featuring all the latest clubs, bands, gadgets and music. The national winner was unveiled at a photocall in London, accompanied by England cricketer Dennis Compton and a montage of the changing style and image of the Brylcreem Boy over the years. The PR team was lucky to be allowed by the client to go as far as it did, but by hitting the major retailers, local nightclubs and the national media at once, the results it achieved were incredible.
Size: 5741px × 3672px
Location: London, UK
Photo credit: © parkerphotography / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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