Brylcream: Effortless
Brylcreem wanted to refresh its image in 2007, targeting a younger, cooler male audience. The brand needed to shift perception, positioning itself as the key to effortless style, not just traditional grooming. The challenge was to authentically connect with this demographic, demonstrating natural talent and ease, thereby increasing relevance and desirability for Brylcreem among modern, style-conscious young men.
Creative Idea
Brylcreem found a MySpace skateboarder via contest to prove effortless style for a younger, cooler audience.
Brylcreem launched a marketing campaign that showcased effortless style through a skateboarding contest on MySpace, selecting Sam Veale as their spokesperson who embodied the brand's "effortless" positioning. The campaign aimed to connect with a younger, cooler audience by highlighting natural talent and ease through a skateboarder's skillful performance, paired with indie rock music.
The 200nt Take Effort Behind the Effortless
The MySpace Talent Search
To avoid the "hyper - polished" aesthetic of traditional grooming ads, WCRS bypassed traditional casting agencies. They turned to MySpace to find authentic talent, eventually discovering professional juggler Sam Veale and the Scottish indie band B Raymond and the Voicettes. This digital - first approach was revolutionary for 2007, predating the modern influencer era. The campaign further leveraged the platform by offering a £10,000 prize for users who could film and upload their own "effortless" tricks, generating a massive wave of early user - generated content.
Real Stunts and Tortoise Timing
Director Fredrik Bond and production house Sonny London committed to a strict no - CGI policy to maintain the campaign's "indie" credibility. While the final cut looks casual, the shoot was a grueling physical marathon. Bond sought out tricks that were technically possible but statistically improbable - things that might only happen "one in 200 times." The production required hundreds of takes to capture Veale successfully kicking a football into a hanging shirt and sliding a piece of lettuce to a tortoise with perfect synchronization.
Rebranding a Grandfather's Staple
The campaign is credited with "saving" the Sara Lee - owned brand by shifting its perception from a "grandfather’s hair cream" to a modern styling tool for the 18 - 24 demographic. By leaning into the heritage of "a little dab" but rebranding the result as "effortless style" rather than "greasy shine," Brylcreem successfully competed against modern gels and waxes. It remains a textbook example of how high - end professional production can successfully mimic an "amateur - style" aesthetic to build brand authenticity.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
Brylcream possessed a heritage of hair styling but needed to modernize its 'hold' into a more flexible, natural look. They could credibly deliver a product that facilitates a relaxed, unforced aesthetic rather than a rigid, over-groomed appearance.
Category
Men's grooming ads typically featured hyper-polished models in front of mirrors, emphasizing vanity and a 'perfect' finish. The category relied on heavily produced visuals that felt disconnected from the gritty, authentic reality of young men's daily lives.
Customer
The younger audience craved 'steeze'—the ability to perform difficult feats with nonchalant ease. They felt that trying too hard was the ultimate social failure, preferring a look that suggested they just rolled out of bed looking that good.
Culture
The mid-2000s saw the peak of MySpace and the DIY indie rock explosion, where 'cool' was defined by raw, user-generated talent. Skateboarding culture perfectly embodied this zeitgeist of high-skill performance executed with a low-effort attitude.
Company
Brylcream possessed a heritage of hair styling but needed to modernize its 'hold' into a more flexible, natural look. They could credibly deliver a product that facilitates a relaxed, unforced aesthetic rather than a rigid, over-groomed appearance.
Category
Men's grooming ads typically featured hyper-polished models in front of mirrors, emphasizing vanity and a 'perfect' finish. The category relied on heavily produced visuals that felt disconnected from the gritty, authentic reality of young men's daily lives.
Strategy:
Reposition grooming as a subcultural byproduct by aligning the brand with the low-stakes mastery of effortless street style.
Customer
The younger audience craved 'steeze'—the ability to perform difficult feats with nonchalant ease. They felt that trying too hard was the ultimate social failure, preferring a look that suggested they just rolled out of bed looking that good.
Culture
The mid-2000s saw the peak of MySpace and the DIY indie rock explosion, where 'cool' was defined by raw, user-generated talent. Skateboarding culture perfectly embodied this zeitgeist of high-skill performance executed with a low-effort attitude.
Strategy:
Reposition grooming as a subcultural byproduct by aligning the brand with the low-stakes mastery of effortless street style.
Strategy Technique
Borrow Equity
Brylcreem borrowed relevance from popular youth culture elements like MySpace, skateboarding, and indie rock. This helped refresh its image and connect with a younger, cooler audience.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Celebrate an Attitude
The campaign embodied 'effortless style' through a skateboarder and indie music. It aimed to make Brylcreem a symbol of this desired attitude for a younger, cooler audience.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
This campaign's craft excels in creating an immersive, character-driven world through a perfectly matched original song and meticulous art direction, supported by authentic acting and rhythmic editing.
The original folk-rock song is the backbone of the ad, perfectly setting the carefree mood and rhythmically guiding the protagonist's actions and the overall narrative.
The highly detailed, eclectic, and lived-in apartment set serves as a character in itself, authentically conveying the protagonist's cool, individualistic, and effortless lifestyle.
The lead actor's natural, unforced performance embodies the 'effortless' concept, making his relaxed movements and interactions feel genuinely authentic and aspirational.
The editing maintains a deliberate, unhurried pace, with cuts perfectly synchronized to the music, enhancing the ad's relaxed rhythm and allowing the character's personality to unfold organically.
The synergy between the original music, detailed art direction, and the actor's performance creates a cohesive and immersive world that truly defines the 'effortless' message.
