Scalp Before Skin

Ogilvy Singapore, in partnership with Unilever’s Clear, has launched “Scalp Before Skin” in Istanbul to get young Turkish men thinking about and pursuing hair loss prevention. Afterall, Turkey has one of the highest rates of male hair loss with approximately 40 per cent of the male population affected by male pattern baldness.[1]
Launched on World Health Day (7 April), the ‘Scalp Before Skin’ campaign reframes scalp care not just as grooming, but as preventative care - urging Turkish men to act before the inevitable happens.
The campaign reached more than 900,000 people on launch day alone, delivering high-frequency visibility within a single market and generating strong initial momentum for awareness and conversation.
“Clear has always been at the forefront of scalp care innovation, and with the 'Scalp before Skin' campaign, we're challenging outdated perceptions head-on. The campaign boldly takes on Turkey’s transplant-first mindset by positioning Clear Scalpceuticals as the smart, preventative alternative in a market where hair loss is widely accepted as inevitable and hair transplant the standard solution. ‘Scalp before Skin’ is designed to reach young Turkish men where they are – not just physically, but culturally – and spark a shift in how they think about caring for their scalp and their grooming routine,” said Mohamed ElSharkawy, Global Brand Vice President, Clear.

The campaign leverages a powerful cultural insight: the growing interest in skincare amongst Turkish men. The campaign’s core message - “Get a scalp care routine before it turns into a skin care routine” – serves as a friendly but unmissable warning. By drawing a direct line between a receding hairline and an expanded future skincare regimen, the campaign reframes scalp care as the first and most important step in any grooming routine.
Marco Versolato, Chief Creative Officer, WPP@Unilever, said, “The challenge in Turkey isn’t awareness – it’s apathy. When hair loss feels inevitable and transplants offer a safety net, prevention gets ignored. ‘Scalp Before Skin’ connects scalp care to something men are already investing in — skincare. The campaign is a friendly provocation that reframes the conversation entirely, making scalp care feel urgent, relevant and impossible to ignore.”
To drive awareness and spark talkability, the campaign launched through high-impact digital out-of-home (DOOH) and print, deliberately avoiding typical dandruff-led channels and messaging with a large-scale, unmissable presence.
Reaching young Turkish men where they are most conscious of their grooming, the campaign deployed dynamic moving billboards strategically routed through social hotspots, university campuses, and entertainment zones, targeting men aged 25–35 across high-traffic social and lifestyle districts.
Key routes included the İstanbul Technical University corridor in Maslak, known for its dense student and young professional population, as well as Beşiktaş - a vibrant hub where younger audiences gather - with routes passing multiple university clusters to maximise relevance and reach. The campaign was further amplified through print placements in Hafta, the Friday supplement of national economy newspaper Nasıl Bir Ekonomi, extending reach among an engaged male readership.
The campaign was developed by Ogilvy Singapore with media support from Mindshare Singapore and PHD Istanbul, bringing together cross-market capabilities to deliver culturally resonant work.