Objective

Changing the world for the better starts with the man in the mirror, and men’s grooming leader Wahl aimed to reward guys who were doing just that. So, in theme with Wahl’s creative platform of ‘making the world a bearder place,’ Hoffman York (HY) launched the second annual Wahl ‘Benevolent Beards’ Contest and searched for men who combine good grooming with goodwill. Five finalists were chosen, and one Grand Prize winner was awarded $20,000 for himself, and $5,000 for the charity of his choice. When it came to measuring our success, we hoped to achieve results on par with the same contest the year before. The measurable objectives included:

• 1 billion impressions from public relations
• 15 million impressions and 920,000 engagements from social media
• 30,000 visits to the contest landing page
• 50 contest entries and 5,000 votes

Strategy

The contest strategy invited bearded men from across the country to submit a video of themselves either explaining or demonstrating how they support a charity. To maximize opportunities for publicity and engagement, the contest included three phases: soliciting entries (4/10/23 – 6/1/23), public voting (9/6/23 – 10/1/23), and the winner announcement (12/6/23).

To further support publicity efforts, HY decided to test a hunch with a primary research study to glean insights for social and editorial content. Interestingly, the study found that men with beards are 13% more charitable than their clean-shaven counterparts.

In addition, to help garner quality entries, the Wahl Mobile Barbershop traveled the country visiting the previous year’s finalists and winner in their hometowns. We celebrated the men by hosting beard grooming events where visitors were treated to FREE beard trims, and for each trim Wahl donated $100 to the men’s respective charities up to $5,000 each.

After the entry period closed, HY selected (5) finalists. Each finalist won $500 for himself and $500 for his charity. Public voting then determined the Grand Prize winner, who was awarded $20,000 for himself and $5,000 for his charity. The participants included:

1. Christopher McNeil (2023 Winner) from Kansas City, MO, is an educator who started his program 'Books and Barbers' to provide haircuts, books, and mentorship to elementary school students within the Kansas City Public Schools District.
   • To celebrate his win, Wahl brought its mobile barbershop to Kansas City for a beard-grooming event that raised $5,000 for the charity. They also surprised 200 elementary school students at an assembly where four KC Chiefs Football Stars gifted books to the kids and the $20,000 winning check to Christopher.
2. Yuri Williams from Los Angeles, CA, visits children’s hospitals in all 50 states — dressed as different superheroes, with his charity ‘A Future Superhero.’
3. Ben Davis from Dallas, TX, founded ‘Operation Gentleman’, a charity that collects suits for donation to veterans in need.
4. Shawn Standley from Talkeetna, AK, is a professional artist who serves as treasure of the ‘Denali Arts Council,’ a charity that helps kids explore opportunities for artistic expression.
5. James Gottry from Colorado Springs, CO, has been supporting ‘UMOM New Day Centers,’ and its mission to end the cycle of homelessness for decades.

A truly integrated approach was used to promote each phase of the contest, including:

• The PR Team drafted press materials and personalized pitches, coordinated each of the grooming events and charity partnerships, and managed all the contest logistics including landing page submissions/voting, official rules and prize fulfillment.
• The Creative Team developed contest promotional and event recap videos and other assets for the contest landing page and social media posts. Branded boxes were also produced and mailed to social media influencers.
• The Social Team enlisted bearded influencers who showcase their charitable efforts, to encourage their like-minded followers to enter the contest.
• The Paid Media Team drove contest entries and votes by putting support behind Wahl owned content, as well as supporting the content from collaborative social media influencers.

Results

The second annual Wahl ‘Benevolent Beards’ Contest was a tremendous success and exceeded our objectives. The results included:

• 1.8 billion impressions (80% over objective) for public relations
• 25 million impressions (66% over objective) and 5 million engagements (444% over objective) for social media
• 200,000 visits (566% over objective) to the contest landing page
• 75 contest entries (50% over objective) and 3,889 votes (22% below objective)

The media’s enthusiasm for this contest was evident from the hundreds of placements we received in numerous local TV stations and daily newspapers, as well as some national media outlets. Most importantly, the contest made a positive real-life impact with its donations and brought awareness to many deserving charities.

Media