An essential component of the Bumble and Bumble business is educating hairdressers from around the world. To attract a few hundred New Yorkers each week to be models for these students—models receive a free haircut in exchange for a few hours of their time—we needed an effective method to reach an audience largely composed of college students, freelance professionals, and others with flexible schedules.

Once the strategy was in place, which included reaching college students at their schools and the general population through ads in select publications, we theorized that illustration would be a more effective medium for the message than photography (which proved too literal in previous campaigns), as it allows a potential model to imagine a more personalized result, and allows us a greater sense of humor—a hallmark of our brand.

We commissioned Peter Arkle to create a series of drawings that focus on transformation—making the out-of-date modern, the mundane exciting, and breaking the habitual—to become a series of posters, postcards, and ads.

The production and print costs for these pieces were significantly lower than in previous campaigns. Since we were able to reuse illustrations across the different media and without the limitations of model rights, we reached a much wider audience and built a recognizable campaign.

After the first ad appeared in the Village Voice, our first model call was attended by nearly 500 people, a 100 percent increase over previous events.

These are very funny and unexpected. They must appeal to the target audience (college kids).