“Trimming the hedges,” “taking a little off the top” and “manscaping” - all innuendo terms for describing the act of a man grooming his body hair. In 2006, Philips Norelco introduced a revolutionary new product to the market, Bodygroom, a total body groomer specifically designed to shave and trim, well…everywhere. Working with MSLGROUP in Europe and the United States, the program was created to attract men and deliver the Bodygroom benefits through online activities and enough conversation around the topic of a “hair-free back, well-groomed shoulders and an extra optical inch” to make Bodygroom one of the most successful launches in Philips' history.

In the U.S., the launch of the male grooming tool was kicked off with a 35-minute branded segment on the Howard Stern Show on Sirius Satellite network and centered around the www.shaveeverywhere.com Web site, which leveraged humor and innuendo to talk about the taboo act of body grooming. In the first month of the launch, the Web site generated more than one million visitors and 200 million media impressions. And not only did Bodygroom exceed sales projections for the year in this first month, but Philips Norelco also went from 0% to 70% share of the electric body grooming category. This program received several top industry awards, including a Silver Anvil in the Marketing Consumer Products category, Best Use of Internet/New Media by PRWeek, a Gold SABRE, and many more.

In the UK, MSL London worked with Philips to beat all sales expectations for the year. In the first two months after launch, PR coverage reached 60% of the target audience, 100% of which mentioned Philips and 94% Bodygroom, establishing it as the category leader. The team received two European SABRE awards in the Product Media Relations and Fashion and Beauty categories.

MSLGROUP successfully over-delivered public relations campaign results that not only raised awareness and interest in the Philips Norelco Bodygroom, but also helped the brand meet its important and aggressive business objectives. A strategic PR approach helped push the topic of body grooming into the mainstream with consumers and media, and, as a result, this previously taboo topic has become fodder for water cooler discussions around the world.