Medical Hair Restoration Launches Bold New Branding Campaign as 1980's Hair Band Rocks Hair Transplant Industry

Business Wire, Jan 4, 2005

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Breaking Hair Transplant Industry Ad Mold, Three 60-Second TV Spots Begin Airing Nationwide

Medical Hair Restoration(TM) (MHR), a worldwide leader in hair transplant surgery, today announced the company is launching a daring nationwide branding campaign with three explosive 60-second, direct-response television commercials. The new spots are designed to both ignite brand recognition and generate response using an aggressive and energetic call-to-action. With the new campaign, MHR is breaking away from the hair transplant industry's more traditional and conservative late-night infomercial style of advertising.

"My challenge was to brand MHR by making the entire subject of hair transplantation nothing short of dinner conversation," said Chris Aten, senior creative director, MHR, and of its parent company, The Leavitt Companies. "The only way to generate a buzz about a somewhat taboo subject like hair transplantation is to go to the opposite extreme -- attacking it with laughter and schtick, without sacrificing the sensitivity of the subject. The concept, featuring The Hair Dudes, was refreshing and light-hearted enough to dive over that hurdle. After all, who knows the power of hair more than a classic 1980's spandex sporting big hair band?"

The Hair Dudes commercials were written and conceptualized by Aten, and produced by Tampa Digital Studios, the largest digital media facility in West Central Florida and a turnkey resource for every aspect of multimedia production nationwide. The commercials were directed and produced by Michael McCourt of Tampa Digital, with Jeff McKown serving as line producer and Greg Metcalfe as editor, both also of Tampa Digital. All three spots were shot using the Panasonic HD (high definition) Varicam, with a P&S Technik pro-35 adapter and 35mm Karl Ziess lenses.

The commercials begin airing in January 2005 in local markets nationwide and on cable TV networks, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, VH-1, E!, Discovery, Fox News, Animal Planet and Travel Channel, as MHR broadens its audience, but stays within its typical male demographic.

The Hair Dudes and MHR's new mantra "It's the hair, dude!" will be used to promote MHR using several marketing venues. "The momentum and buzz of this new brand recognition will surely develop the familiarity and foundation for more tactical initiatives, such as Internet advertising, radio commercials, direct mail, broadcast e-mails, and future long-form advertising," said Randy Miller, president, MHR. "We are clearly now staged to rock the hair transplant industry with The Hair Dudes."

The Hair Dudes Commercials

The three 60-second spots feature a 1980's tribute hair band -- The Hair Dudes from the New York/New Jersey area. The creative concept of the ads revolves around a spoof structure that parodies other products and services that men and women use to try to make them feel more confident and powerful. One focuses on how to make more money buying real estate foreclosures; another on developing tighter abdominal muscles; and the other on a sexual dysfunction. Just as the balding men in each of the spoofed infomercials is making their pitch, The Hair Dudes -- with the band members sporting heads of long, thick hair -- appear after a rock n' roll pyrotechnics explosion and declare that the only real way to achieve greater life-style satisfaction and feeling one's best is to re-grow hair with a permanent hair transplant from MHR. The band members rock out to viewers: "It's the HAIR, Dude!"

"Obviously, these spots are tongue-in-cheek," said Dr. Matt Leavitt, founder and medical director, MHR. "At the same time, every day our patients tell us stories about how they finally got in shape, got the job, or even the girl after they grew their hair back with our personalized hair transplant program."

Dr. Leavitt added: "There are 50 million men in America with some type of hair loss. The primary goal of these commercials is to help them take a lighter look at their current situation, and then come to us for the only permanent, natural solution."

About Medical Hair Restoration (MHR)

Medical Hair Restoration was launched in 1992 under the medical direction of founder Dr. Matt Leavitt, and now boasts more board certified hair transplant surgeons than any other practice throughout the country. MHR is a part of The Leavitt Companies in Orlando, FL, and now has 42 offices nationwide, including New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. MHR has become a leader in hair replacement, and has performed hair transplant procedures for thousands of men and women from more than 40 countries. The practice's board-certified physicians are on the forefront of clinical research, publishing, continuing education programs, state-of-the-art instrumentation and innovative hair growth procedures. For more information about MHR, visit http://www.mhrhairdude.com.

About Tampa Digital Studios

Tampa Digital Studios is the largest digital media facility in West Central Florida, and is a turnkey resource for every aspect of multimedia production nationwide. The company's broad customer base spans from ad agencies to independent producers, from direct marketers to corporations, as well as business, technology and entertainment leaders. The Tampa Digital staff's experience in all aspects of digital media, combined with its understanding of new technologies, is a driving force behind the company's sustained growth. For more information about Tampa Digital Studios, visit http://www.tampadigital.com.