Philips ‘Barber Drama’

In South Africa, men take their relationships with their barbers very seriously. But what happens when they discover a new set of trimmers so good they make them want to leave their barbers?

We created a series of radio spots where we explored men choosing to ghost their barbers in favour of the Philips Series 3000 Trimmer, in the style of popular television genres: reality TV, court shows, and soap operas. Because when you find a trimmer that is so incredibly easy to use, severing ties with your barber becomes much easier than you thought it would be.

Brief and Solution:

Brief: Develop a campaign which highlights the ease, simplicity, and innovation of the new Philips Series 3000 Trimmer.

Solution: The Philips Barber Drama Campaign

A radio campaign which answered the not so age-old question: What would happen to men’s relationships with their barbers if they discovered a trimmer so good and simple to use that they decided to begin trimming their own hair?

Through culturally relevant storytelling, we positioned the Philips Series 3000 as a tool which gives its users the power to trim and style their own hair, and as a liberator from any and all barber drama.

Cultural Context
Gundel’ekhaya
Parodied iconic South African show Khumbul’ekhaya, where people write in to be reunited with estranged family. We changed “Khumbul’ekhaya” (come back home) to “Gundel’ekhaya (cut your hair at home).

Hairtenity Test
Parodied “Lauren Lake’s Paternity Court” – where plaintiffs request DNA confirmation of paternity. In this spot, a barber took his client to court requesting a “hairternity test”.

Blades of Our Lives
Parodied “Days of Our Lives” which was appointment viewing in South Africa. This spot explored the love triangle of a client, his current barber, and his former barber.

Client/Brand: Philips

Agency: TBWA
Chief Creative Officer: Carl Willoughby
Executive Creative Director: Steph van Niekerk
Writer: Minenhle Khoza
Art Director: Katlego Molopyane
Animator: Joshua Georgiades

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