MMC worked with head & shoulders last week in Dallas to perpetuate the “Hair Bowl,” an event USA Today dubbed the first NFL championship where the topic of hair wars was a major subplot to the big game.  head & shoulders, which has been working with Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, known for his long, curly hair, for the last two years, created the Super Bowl Mane Match-Up, pitting Polamalu against other hairy players in NFL history.  While the Steelers didn’t take home the trophy Sunday night, Troy Polamalu certainly lead the conversation throughout the build-up to the game – and won the people’s vote for the “Best Super Bowl Hair of All Time.”

The h&s team was also on site at the Super Bowl Media Center in Dallas to give complimentary haircuts and styles to sports reporters leading up to the game.  The event created a lot of good-natured joking among both teams, which spurred constant media coverage in the week before the game.  Imagine:

• Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, NFL Legend Jerry Rice and many other  players from both teams (including Clay Matthews who represents a competing hair care line) donning a Polamalu wig during media day
• All-pro Brett Keisel admitting he maintains his beard with head & shoulders

The head & shoulders brand team noted in Cincinnati.com over the weekend that “the buzz [the program has] generated through traditional and Social Media is worth more than a single national advertising spot during the Super Bowl,”   which cost advertisers who did participate up to $3 million for a 30-second commercial.