Jonathan Durden on Cocksure Creativity

When Below the Belt’s founder, Jonathan Durden, was considering the next ad campaign for his male grooming line his intentions were as sure are the male character that fronts the spot.

Having bulldozed his way into the media industry and subsequently becoming one of the co-founders of media giant, PHD, since 2007 Durden has been pursuing personal ventures including consulting in the agency world and becoming the strategic advisor for cinema advertising sales house Digital Cinema Media. But he also clearly holds his cosmetics brand dear and the new ad, The Success Man, could be considered somewhat of a metaphor for his own career.

Created through London agency Lucky Generals, the campaign adopts a typical format seen in previous male grooming spots – think Gerard Butler’s Invictous ad – and sees a high-flying businessman talking about his life in the fast lane. But then the viewer receives a bizarre and entertaining surprise which firmly stamps Below the Belt’s tone on the 40-second film, helmed by You Are Here’s Cris Mudge.

“Below the Belt is a grooming brand pioneering a brand new sector,” explains Durden. “We have made a pastiche of the self-important style generally used. The twist encourages sharing, and is a way to normalise this product innovation. Men can be lazy; this gets their attention.”

The tone of the ad, which has become synonymous with the brand, goes back to why Durden wanted to start the male grooming line in the first place. “I remember talc,” he says. “Then showers fundamentally changed men's bathroom routines, but we are still as badly designed downstairs. I saw a need for a modern solution.”

When recruiting an agency to come up with the creative for the new campaign, it was just a matter of picking up where the last one left off and Lucky Generals were always in the running after working on a previous Below the Belt ad that ran on Channel 4 in November.

“Lucky Generals are simply brilliant. Separately, we wanted to make a high-quality film that would be shared, enjoyed and open up a broader debate. There was no pitch process.”

So when the majority of the advertising industry is tapping into emotions and tugging at the heartstrings through December, what was the thinking behind launching a bold and ballsy campaign in mid-December?

When Durden started the brand he says the plan was to navigate a path to avoid being seen as a novelty joke, or an embarrassing medical condition. But with that, he believes that the Christmas gift period encourages trial and experimentation.

With that though, he isn’t only set on going against the grain to promote the message for male grooming. “I don't think humour is always appropriate. After all, the benefits of a new sector must be explained. In our case, we have started to raise awareness, but the job is far from done. Getting women, who predominantly buy for their partners, equipped with the arguments, and being more informative directly to men through passions like sport, will hopefully be next.”