MullenLowe Singapore has found the perfect medium for its ads for Unilever Clear’s baldness protection range, Clear Men Scalp Pro – men’s bald spots.

The partners’ Bald Spots campaign turns actual bald spots on men’s heads into unmissable out-of-home advertising spaces. The campaign launched in Turkey, the hair transplant capital of the world, and the “mobile billobards”, feature a range of designs and messages contextualised to the severity and shape of individual bald spots. They were sent out to the streets and into locations popular with men, such as gyms, teahouses and malls. “It starts like this. Use Clear Men Scalp Pro” reads a reminder set on a head with early stage balding, while another with severe, late-stage balding features a cheeky warning to “Give your hairline a lifeline. Use Clear Men Scalp Pro.”

The campaign is built on research which shows that male pattern baldness is the most common cause of hair loss in men, affecting up to 85% of men by age 50. Hair loss impacts self-image, which could lead to embarrassment, social anxiety and depression in some men.

Mohamed Elsharkawy, global brand vice president for Clear, stated, “With over 50 years of research on hair and scalp biology, Clear is well-placed to help men alleviate hair loss issues by focusing on solutions for the scalp. Though male pattern balding may be a sensitive issue for men, we believe it’s important to encourage them to address it with a healthy dose of humour, empathy and Clear Men Scalp Pro.”

Daniel Kee, executive creative director, MullenLowe Singapore, added, “Our decades-long partnership with Clear has seen us tackle all sorts of scalp issues — serious issues that require serious science. But messaging doesn’t always have to follow the same serious tone. Instead of shying away from hair loss issues to avoid embarrassment, we gave balding a personality and a voice. Using men’s bald spots, turned into media spaces, is provoking without being provocative, entertaining without being embarrassing, and brings visibility to an issue that hasn’t been getting the right kind of attention and, subsequently, early enough treatment.”

Translation of cover image ad copy: “It starts like this. Use Clear Men Scalp Pro”