BBH London on Stunts and Style for LYNX

Last year BBH London created a series of Mantorials aiming to teach male consumers how to achieve different styles with a new range of hair products from LYNX. 

This year, the agency is back with a great new spot for the brand, directed by Biscuit Filmworks UK’s Noam Murro, which builds on the previous work for the Australian TV market. The ad follows a good-looking male protagonist and travels through different TV genres, time periods and scenes to communicate the importance of looking after your hair while you still have it.

Below, the creative team behind the work, Jack Smedley and George Hackforth-Jones, explain their idea and how it came to fruition on set.

How did the idea evolve to use one guy in all these different types of life situations?

We wanted this film to be a rocket up the backside for anyone taking their hair for granted. Hurling our protagonist into different TV genres gave us a neat vehicle to explore the world of possibilities available to anyone with a full head of hair. 

Why was the actor the right man for the job and how much of a challenge was it to style him in all the different scenes?

We needed a versatile actor who could slot into a multitude of genres and this one fit the bill. He was a rare combination of being universally likeable and annoyingly good looking. Maintaining flawless hair on set, often in trying conditions, was also no mean feat. Luckily we had a killer hair stylist who could do things with hair we didn't know were possible. He even managed to make our producer look less like The Fonz.

As well as the TV genres, different time periods are honed in on; what was the biggest challenge you encountered on set?

Shooting the action thriller was a nail biter as Noam wanted to flip a Mercedes in camera. They nailed it in one take (which was lucky as there was only one stunt car) but we weren't allowed to applaud until the 2nd AD had checked the stunt man was unhurt. 

Has the attention from gay press come as a surprise? Tell us about the decision to include that scene…

Lynx has always been about attraction, nobody ever said that had to mean boy meets girl. We never set out to make James a gay icon but, if online comments are anything to go by, he won't be short of gentleman admirers any time soon...