Why is this work relevant for PR?

POLITIX x Movember needed an especially newsworthy campaign this year, to rise above the noise of COVID-19, making space in the media for conversations around the lesser-known men's health crisis. The Mo-Hair Suit was the battering ram for their PR-led campaign, specifically designed to attract earned media attention for men's physical and mental health. Its weirdness and controversy were key to its success—is it a work of art, or is it just gross? The PR strategy was tailored to fit our target audience and the suit itself, targeting health, fashion, art and culture publications, plus broadcast news media for reach.

Background

Millions of men die from preventable causes every year, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer and suicide. Too often, because they don't speak up about their health, believing it to be 'weak' or 'unmanly'. Australian menswear label POLITIX believes in helping men look good, feel good and do good. That's why they partner with Movember each year, raising funds and awareness to help change the face of men's health. But the POLITIX x Movember campaign was in danger of receiving little media attention this year, due to COVID-19 dominating all health discourse. Together, they needed a massive PR boost to be heard above the noise of the pandemic. The POLITIX brief was for a new PR-led campaign, to: -Start conversations in the media around men's health -Encourage men to talk about their physical and mental health -Demonstrate POLITIX's promise of 'look good, feel good, do good' through their Movember partnership

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

We leaned into POLITIX and Movember's famous brand assets (suits and mo's) to create a controversial fashion statement even 'men of few words' would talk about: a Mo-Hair Suit—made from real moustaches. We partnered with artist Pam Kleemann-Passi—who specialises in hair-art and had sadly lost her husband to prostate cancer—to create the world-first fabric using hundreds of moustache clippings from men across Australia. This was tailored into a POLITIX suit, uncannily resembling the brand's most popular design, finished with a moustache-hair Movember pin. Inside, the suit's lining features stories and conversation-starters from people whose lives have been touched by men's mental health and suicide, testicular cancer and prostate cancer, making it truly 'worn to be heard.' In creating a stylish tailored suit out of mo-hair, POLITIX proved their brand promise of 'look good, feel good, do good' through a medium that was unique to both their brand identity and Movember's.

Describe the PR strategy (30% of vote)

Many Australian men won't talk about their health unless someone else brings it up. What POLITIX x Movember needed was to kick-start conversations for these 'men of few words' (our audience), by giving them—and the media—something to talk about. Our PR strategy was to use the Mo-Hair Suit as a battering ram to break through the wall of COVID-19 health news. Once we had our audience's attention, we partnered with high-profile talent to start conversations in the media around men's health. They all shared POLITIX x Movember's key message—Worn to be Heard—alongside a call to action of "Men, we need to talk." We targeted specific media outlets relevant to the suit and our audience, including health, men's fashion, art and culture publications, plus broadcast and lifestyle media for reach. Alongside film and photography assets, we shared tailored press releases linking to the POLITIX x Movember campaign page on POLITIX's website.

Describe the PR execution (20% of vote)

We shared the campaign assets with specific media outlets in October. Art publications and galleries were contacted via Pam, on behalf of POLITIX x Movember, for authenticity in the art world. We negotiated with Today—popular live breakfast TV show—for the suit's launch, where host Karl Stefanovic modelled it while interviewing Pam and Anthony 'Blue Wiggle' Field about their personal connections to the Movember cause. Pam spoke of her late husband's prostate cancer, which could have been caught and treated, had he got checked sooner. Anthony opened up about his struggle with depression, encouraging men to talk to each other when they're feeling blue. The POLITIX x Movember campaign ran from 29th October to 30th November. We leveraged the suit's eccentricity to secure global coverage in that time, reaching 26M+ people via TV, radio, print, online and social—all starting conversations around men's health, thanks to the POLITIX x Movember Mo-Hair Suit.

List the results (30% of vote)

Following direct PR outreach from the POLITIX x Movember partnership, our campaign featured in TV, radio, print, online and social media press in Australia and internationally, including the Today show, ABC Radio National, Men's Health Magazine, NBC LX, DMARGE and more. The Mo-Hair Suit was unveiled on national TV, in a segment featuring the suit's artist, and a POLITIX x Movember ambassador about their connections to men's health. The suit sparked millions of conversations about men's health across the world. It even attracted interest from Guinness World Records and several Australian galleries—watch this space. The overall campaign sentiment was positive, with all talent and media articles driving further awareness to the POLITIX x Movember cause, increasing positive brand sentiment for POLITIX and their promise of 'look good, feel good, do good'. -Approx. $2.7M+ earned media -Approx. 26M+ reach -Engagement rate: 8.65% -POLITIX raised $100K in donations for Movember