DDB and Tribal Toronto want men to stop treating their faces like (their) junk.

We don’t want to know how Neutrogena MEN began to suspect that men were using the same product to clean both face and junk. Let’s begin the story with the results of  the Ipsos Reid study that followed from May 16-23. 72% of the 1,400 Canadian men over 18 interviewed admitted they used the same stuff to wash their face, dick and balls.

Neutrogena then nicknamed the ‘condition’ caused by this habit, Junkface. So, it has launched The Campaign to End Junkface.

Why? The men’s grooming category grew 17% in Canada with the introduction of a multitude of new products.  2-in-1 products and body washes became the competitive hotspot. Neutrogena MEN holds a unique position as a brand designed specifically for a man’s face. If men want to stop using body washes on their faces, it’s likely they’ll buy Neutrogena MEN.

To make sure they pay attention, DDB Canada and Tribal Worldwide Toronto, put its message in a genre with man appeal – comedy.  And to make sure men talk about it, they gave the comedy’s DNA that viral contagion – offbeat.

Ted Lachmansingh, group brand director, Neutrogena Canada explained,  “Men are an evolving and important consumer group, with very different behaviours and attitudes about skin care than women. To engage young, professional men, we’re taking a very different approach to the way we communicate to women, by speaking to men in a more humorous and relatable way.”

“Guys don’t think about what they use to wash their face,” added David Ross, creative director, DDB Canada. “By shedding light on this nasty behaviour in a humorous way, the Junkface campaign is meant to trigger an ah-ha moment to get them to start thinking twice about what they use on their face.”

The eight week Campaign To End Junkface is running across English-speaking Canada from June 26, with a 60 second video, pre-roll, online advertising, wild postings, out-of-home advertising, sampling, in-store Junkface Prevention Kits, influencer outreach, digital content for key social sites, and  Media relations and social outreach by Rpr Marketing Communications.