When shampoo brands go Hitler

Client: Biota Labs
Campaign: Real Men Use Biomen
Agency: MARKA
Rating: 0/10

Perhaps hoping to capitalise on the success of Hipster Hitler, here’s a Turkish ad for a shampoo that takes haircare advice from one of the few men who have pioneered their very own moustache style.

According to Adland.com, the voiceover translates to: “If you’re not wearing women’s clothes, you shouldn’t be using women’s shampoo either. Here it is. A real man’s shampoo. Biomen. Real men use Biomen.”

What to say, except congratulations. Biomen has simplified the form of shockvertising to its most basic components. Now we can all see it for the silliness it is. The ad is basically Godwin’s Law in action, minus all the annoying debate stuff that usually happens first.

This post is, of course, exactly what they want. So, too, is the letter of complaint sent by Zali De Toledo, president of the Israel-Turkey friendship group İSRAİLDEKİ TÜRKİYELİLER BİRLİĞİ, to the brand, as well as the various other protests that are sure to spring up.

Marka, the agency behind the campaign, says it wants to be the world leader in “challenger brands”, which it defines as brands that “refuse to follow or imitate the market leader’s strategies”.

Yes, why on earth would you want to imitate anything successful? Definitely better to go Hitler. One can only imagine the ads they will put together for their newest client, Turk Telecom. A wartime Jewish mother at the end of a telephone that keeps ringing?

For those of you who missed it, that formula is:

Anything + Hitler = Attention

Now let’s never speak of it again.