‘THE GREAT UNWASHED’

Three days. No showers. No problem.

Festivals are tough on armpits. Three days in a field. Questionable toilets. Even more questionable showers. And a very real choice between queuing for one or getting down the front. So, to launch Rock Face’s new 72-hour antiperspirant, we decided to turn one of festival season’s grubbiest truths into a campaign. Don’t fight The Great Unwashed. Join them.

40% OF BRITISH MEN DON’T SHOWER EVERY DAY.

Imagine what happens at a festival. Rather than shame them, we saw an opportunity. If Rock Face is there to be a rock for men, this was a moment to have their backs. Or, more specifically, their pits.

So we created The Great Unwashed, a movement encouraging festival-goers at Reading and Leeds to boycott the showers, put Rock Face’s 72-hour protection to the test and proudly take a stand for the unwashed everywhere.

A SERIOUS CAMPAIGN FOR A VERY UNSERIOUS CAUSE.

We put Rock Face CEO James Wilkinson at the front of the movement, calling on festival-goers to boycott the showers at Reading and Leeds.

There was an open letter to Festival Republic demanding better campsite facilities. A Change.org petition for people to sign. And a rallying cry for men everywhere to join The Great Unwashed.

All with the slightly inconvenient fact that Rock Face's 72-hour antiperspirant meant they didn't actually need to shower anyway.

FROM LINKEDIN TO THE LOO QUEUE

The Great Unwashed was designed to behave like a movement, not an ad campaign. It launched through the CEO on LinkedIn before spreading across OOH, paid social, influencer partnerships, CRM, PR, the petition and Rock Face’s own channels, putting the idea right in the middle of festival culture.