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The Right Stuff: The Sexiest Bald Man 2023
How can you make sure a Digital PR campaign has the "right stuff" to stand out?
A great story goes beyond great metrics and has the power to capture everyone’s attention. So much so you might hear someone mentioning it at a party or a group of strangers discussing it at the pub.
“The Right Stuff” is a series of blog posts where the team at Reboot will dive into what makes the best Digital PR campaigns successful.
The Sexiest Bald Man
To start our series, we couldn’t choose any campaign other than the Sexiest Bald Man.
Each year since 2021, we have taken famous bald celebrities and examined their level of attractiveness. By analysing factors such as golden ratio facial proximity, cranial shine factor, voice attractiveness, and global search interest, we have been able to produce a whole new ranking of the world's sexiest bald men for this Digital PR campaign plan—all backed by mathematics.
The Results
When it comes to the sexiest bald men, names like The Rock and Vin Diesel come to mind. However, attractiveness varies from person to person.
In 2022, Stanley Tucci surprised us all as the second sexiest bald man, dethroning Prince William (who came back strong in 2023!), pushing Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson from second place in 2021 to ninth place in 2022.
And, of course, eeeveryone had something to say about it!
See the results of our 2023 campaign below:
Twitter (sorry, X) mentions went through the roof, at 13,800 by our last count. That’s not it, though. This campaign got people talking outside of the internet, something that can sometimes be tricky with Digital PR, with 348 mentions on TV and radio.
These mentions weren’t just a one-sided interaction. These conversations drove over 600,000 engagements, be these post shares, likes, or comments.
Why Does ‘The Sexiest Bald Man’ Campaign Have the “Right Stuff” To Make It Go Viral?
1. It’s Like Marmite
Controversial topics are a tested strategy to go viral. They spark strong opinions and emotions which can drive Digital PR campaigns—they encourage people to discuss their points of view, increasing engagement online and offline.
Controversy creates some of the best Digital PR campaigns out there. It works well because it also catches the interest of journalists and outlets. It’s the type of content that will resonate with what their readers actually want to share.
But what’s brilliant about the controversy of the Sexiest Bald Man is that the story falls into the sweet spot that isn’t always easy to achieve in Digital PR: it catches attention without being offensive or provocative.
The emotional impact of the 2023 campaign is clear in the diverse reactions it stirred—some loved and agreed with the results, some found it amusing, and others made clear (either angry or sad) that they didn't think Prince William deserved first place.
Source: Meltwater
2. It Has a Humorous and Upbeat Tone
In a world increasingly polarised, Digital PR campaigns that have a lighter tone and make us laugh together cut right through the noise.
Nine in 10 people are more likely to remember funny content, and seven in 10 are more likely to share funny content on social media. The potential for engagement here is immense, increasing the likelihood of virality.
The Sexiest Bald Man is funny because it analyses celebrities in unconventional ways that we don’t usually think of as ‘sexy’, taking a hilarious turn by considering how bright celebrity heads shine.
3. It’s Built on a Strong, Credible Dataset
As an SEO company, we know the impact of data. For journalists, reliable data and trustworthy sources are essential to bringing credible, accurate information to their readers. With fake news spreading quickly, a Digital PR story with a strong dataset helps to build brand reputation, placing it as a leader in its niche.
A data-based study rather than a survey made the methodology for The Sexiest Bald Man stronger. It gave a precise result, increasing the campaign’s reputation by not being open to misinterpretation (which can happen with surveys). Not only that, but the factors in the index also elevated its funny and unique appeal, which would not exist if we used survey results.
4. It’s the Perfect Fit For Social Media
As mentioned above, funny content tends to be more ‘shareable’, leading to social media trends. Controversial topics are more likely to drive engagement. Information based on reliable data makes it hard to attribute the results to external factors, as people might do with survey-based findings.
All of the factors above, combined with the funny visual and meme appeal of the campaign, make the Sexiest Bald Man a perfect fit for viral social media content. So much so that we made sure that those involved in the rankings noticed the results, joined in on the joke, and shared it on their social media channels:
- Shaq posted it on his Instagram, where he received over 252,000 likes and 4,900 comments.
- Dwayne Johnson took to his X (Twitter) account to voice his disbelief and received over 1,600 comments, 10,000 retweets, and 94,000 likes.
- Like Shaq, Stanley Tucci spoke to his Instagram followers about the campaign and received over 83,000 likes and 1,900 comments.
5. It Has the (Royal) Celebrity Aspect
There’s (almost) nothing that the internet loves more than celebrity news. We all know that star power can boost any Digital PR campaign if you have the right idea. Celebrity stories combine fan engagement, media attention, trending appeal, and storytelling opportunities.
When you add a royal aspect to it, like having Prince William featured in the Sexiest Bald Man, the viral potential is even bigger. The Royal Family are a media pool for tabloids, and they are interested in everything and anything related to them (see our other campaign on the hardest-working royals). Their cultural significance and the audience’s love-hate relationship with the royals created an extra buzz surrounding the story.
6. It Reaches a Wider Audience
You don’t need to know much about Prince William or “The Rock” to give your opinion on who should be the Sexiest Bald Man. The creativity of the Digital PR campaign meant it had a wide reach covering all genders, ages, and nationalities—increasing its chances of going viral. In fact, China, India, and Brazil are among the top 10 countries where it was most popular.
Even though it’s for everyone, it’s also strategically relevant to a certain niche. Back in 2021, we first did this campaign for a hair transplant business. This combination of wide appeal and relevance resulted in authoritative backlinks, increased traffic, and brand awareness.
While the story is unrelated to Reboot’s SEO objectives, it showcases its potential if created for clients in industries such as men’s grooming, skincare, headwear, and hair treatment. Last year’s Sexiest Bald Man blog post received over 13,800 visits and still ranks on the first page of the SERP for keywords such as 'bald man' and 'bald men', showcasing the benefits of Digital PR assets in providing organic traffic.
Plus: It Has Become an Annual Event
With 2023 being the third year of the Sexiest Bald Man campaign, it’s safe to say that the tradition not only adds a sense of anticipation from the media and audience every September but also contributes to the authenticity of the story.
Reboot has become the unofficial authority in recognising the most attractive bald men in the world. Our CEO, Shai Aharony, a proud hairless man himself, can’t help but wish he could make it into the rankings!
Want to know how your brand could go viral with our Digital PR services? Get in touch today.
