Brylcreem decided to catch up with the times, re-invent its image and at the same time reintroduce itself to the younger audience. The initiative paid off in 2003 with www.brylcreem.co.uk, which gives the ageless hair product brand a chance to work its way back into the public eye. After landing on the site, one notices that this is not a normal e-commerce site; it has no pop-ups, no sales pitches and no 30 percent off coupons. On the contrary, it claims to be an independent ministry, similar to the Ministry of Defense or Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but in this case, the Ministry of Hair. The purpose? “Defend hair-abiding citizens from organized hair threats, and at the same time provide advice to citizens on how to protect themselves.”

The site header contains the name and tagline of the site and two logos. The site tagline is a bit too similar to a stain removal ad, but the logos are very pronounced and definitely draw the eye. The Ministry’s logo is very serious up until the motto, “In Difensum Barnetas” (“barnet” is slang for hair). The site does a nice job of incorporating “barnet” into the features, even creating an imaginary town called Bad Barnet, which gives the brand an edgy, modern feel.

The Ministry has a Hair Crime section, which allows citizens to report bad barnet offenders, by uploading pictures, and view previously uploaded barnets, so they know what/who to avoid. Usually, when ratings are included rankings are not far behind, and MoH is no exception. The Ministry’s Top 10 Most Wanted list shows the top offenders of hair crime, allows verdicts to be placed on those “awaiting trial,” and pass judgment on those “recently nabbed.” Playful, harmless and interactive, the perception one might have had about one of the oldest hair-product lines in the world is immediately dispelled by visiting this site.