THE SHIRTLESS BLOKE PRINCIPLE
That magical moment appears to be upon us – temperature hits 18°c and half the male population decides it’s beach weather.
You know the scene, that one bloke wandering through town, shirt off, lobster-red shoulders gleaming, confidently strutting past Greggs like he’s on the Copacabana. He’s definitely getting noticed – everybody’s clocking him, probably wondering if he’s lost a bet or genuinely believes he’s in Ibiza.
But, just because everyone’s looking doesn’t mean they’re impressed.
Our shirtless hero has certainly achieved visibility. Mission accomplished, right?
Except the attention he’s getting isn’t exactly the kind you’d want. It’s more “Shite, put it away, mate” rather than “Blimey, what a specimen.”
This is what I call the Shirtless Bloke Principle of marketing.
Getting noticed is easy. Getting noticed for the right reasons? That’s the tricky bit.
We see it all the time in advertising – brands so desperate to cut through the noise that they’ll do absolutely anything to grab eyeballs (anyone want a new Jaguar?). Shock tactics, controversy for controversy’s sake, or campaigns so bizarre they make you question whether the creative team had a proper lunch that day.
Sure, it gets people talking. The brand name trends on X for exactly the wrong reasons, and suddenly everyone’s having a good old chinwag about how spectacularly they’ve missed the mark. Congratulations – you’ve achieved peak visibility whilst simultaneously making your target audience cross the street to avoid you.
Like our shirtless friend, these brands have confused attention with attraction.
They’ve mistaken being the centre of conversation for being the object of desire.
The real skill isn’t in getting noticed – any numpty with a megaphone and questionable judgment can manage that. The real skill is in getting noticed by the right people, for the right reasons, at the right time.
Think about the brands you actually respect and buy from. They’re not the ones desperately flailing about for attention like a toddler who’s discovered they can make noise by banging a saucepan. They’re the ones who’ve mastered the art of being interesting without being irritating.
They understand that good marketing is like good conversation – it draws people in rather than making them want to escape. It’s confident without being cocky, distinctive without being daft.
So next time you’re tempted to chase attention at any cost, remember our shirtless protagonist. Yes, he got noticed. Yes, people are talking about him. But he’s probably going home alone, slightly sunburnt, wondering why his bold strategy didn’t quite land the way he’d hoped.
In branding, as in British summer fashion, sometimes the most powerful move is knowing when to keep your shirt on.
SHA. is a strategic advertising agency, creating brand strategy, advertising, design for print and content for web and social. If you want to know more, get in touch with nigelh@sha-agency.com or visit our contacts page.
The opinions in this article are that of the author alone and in no way, reflect the opinions or viewpoint of the agency. Unless of course we happen to agree with those opinions completely, in which case they might, but otherwise they don’t.
