www.hairy-mail.com
CUBAN COUNCIL
To get across a very important message in the most sickening way imaginable, the American Legacy Foundation came up with a TV spot to beat the very best (or worst). In the ad, hair-removal cream, which contains a caustic chemical also found in cigarettes, is applied to a bunch of middle-aged guys’ disgustingly hairy backs. A watching audience is shown a jar of sodium hydroxide and asked if they could think of another product containing the same chemical. “At this point,” says project conservator Phil Ruppanner, “the guys turned around to reveal the word cigarettes spelled out on their backs—one letter per back—with hair-removal cream.” Hairy Mail is the natural web extension of that yucky but powerful ad.

“Hairy Mail is the world’s first back-hair messaging system,” Ruppanner gleefully explains. “Users can go to www.hairy-mail.com and create a message using hair removal cream on a guy’s back with disgustingly thick fur.” Once at the site, they can either type in a message and have it automatically applied, or draw directly onto the back. “When they are done, they can send their message on to a friend or unsuspecting victim,” he says. In addition to the website, Hairy Mail works on social networks such as MySpace, Friendster and bebo. “On these profiles, users can create Hairy Mail messages that, instead of being sent as e-mails, can be embedded in their friends’ profiles,” Ruppanner says. “From there, other users can create new messages to send to others.” Stylistically, the site was designed to provide a great deal of contrast between the various elements, with the text and background left deliberately clean to keep the focus on the hairy back. “This really was a collaborative effort between Peter Reid from Ourcommon, Cuban Council and Arnold Worldwide,” Ruppanner says. “Everyone in the meetings would be constantly coming up with ideas and laughing at the ridiculousness. This playfulness and sense of humor found its way into the site.”

Finding pictures of hairy backs had to be the biggest challenge. “These days, guys with hairy backs get them waxed or don’t take off their shirts,” says Ruppanner. “Try going to a beach and finding a man-sweater.” If you do, he adds, “Try working up the courage to ask to take a picture of his back.” The design team’s main artistic muse? Burt Reynolds. Their client’s reaction? “Delighted, grossed out and delighted again.”
Dana Rouse