2017 Silver Best brand building campaign

TMW Unlimited

Client: Lynx - Unilever

Men in Progress

Campaign overview

Lynx has always been a brand synonymous with young men. But increasingly, guys were seeing it as a relic of 90s 'lad culture'.

The brief was simple, but open - how can Lynx become culturally relevant with young men again?

Strategy

TMW Unlimited’s extensive social listening suggested that Lynx had become a shorthand for immaturity and desperation. Having once been embedded in the cultural zeitgeist, in brand health scores, its perceived relevancy to the target audience was plummeting.

With men reporting that they feel pressure to be a financial provider, to take the lead in difficult circumstances, to be emotionally resilient, notions of the 'traditional man' are still very much alive and well. But with modern expectations that men should be sensitive, caring and expressive, it's no surprise that many men are struggling to get to grips with their role in the world.

Brands rarely probe at plurality of opinions and outlooks on the world. By ignoring considerations around what is or isn't 'on-brand', establishing a role for Lynx as a platform to explore all types of masculinity would be a strikingly fresh in its authenticity.

This would be Lynx’s coming-of-age.

Creativity

The 'Men In Progress' series comprised nine short video episodes, seeded across social, featuring dozens of men talking candidly about being a man. From the last time they cried, to their relationship with their father; every perspective on modern masculinity was given an opportunity to be aired.

There was no script and no particular moral being preached other than to demonstrate that masculinity has never been more complex and contradictory than it is today.

To act as a barometer of masculinity, Lynx needed to feature men of every description. They were accompanied by some familiar faces from the worlds of sport and music, who were deliberately given exactly the same billing in the content as 'regular' guys.

The film was rooted in a raw authenticity unlike anything the brand had produced before. The stripped-back aesthetic of the film placing attention squarely on the men, their opinions and their stories.

Results

Half of men who viewed the films said the content alone made them reappraise the brand's relevancy.

With 1.3 million earned views, and 109 million PR impressions, this reappraisal happened at large scale with minimal spend.

Lynx reached a sizeable portion of its target audience in the UK with truly perception -changing messaging.

Crucially, the videos have engendered a real shift in how people talk about Lynx on social media. The brand are increasingly seeing the film content being used, unprompted, by people to moderate jokes about Lynx's immaturity.

Team

Graeme Noble (CCO) TMW Unlimited - Jeff Bowerman (Creative Director) TMW Unlimited - Simon Butcher (Planner) TMW Unlimited - Emma Norman (Client Services Director) TMW Unlimited - Kathryn Bryan (Group Account Director) TMW Unlimited - Ben Good (Account Director) TMW Unlimited - Martin Gaston (Senior Social Media Manager) TMW Unlimited - Tracy Woodford (Creative Producer) TMW Unlimited - David Titman (Marketing Manager) Unilever - Dilraj Athwal (Brand Manager) Unilever - David Stoddart (Director Dark) Energy - Matt Brown (Exec Producer) Dark Energy - Micki Colker-Pearlman (Producer) Dark Energy - Franklin Dow (Director of Photography) Dark Energy - Katie Moriarty-Hopper (Casting producer) Dark Energy - Matthew Felstead (Editor) Dark Energy

Contributors

W PR and Influencer (engagement) Crush Music Influencer (engagement) Mindshare Media (Planning)