#HandItDown - Wingman takes corporate responsibility to another level

15-Jan-2015 - Last updated on 19-Jan-2015 at 10:11 GMT

Wingman, a brand that developed from an idea in a university dorm room has taken corporate responsibility to a new level with its’ ‪#‎handitdown campaign that helps teens in need following the over-indulgent Christmas period.

The social media campaign which kicked off just before Christmas Day is asking male consumers to tweet a photo of any unwanted cosmetics gifts they have received over the holidays, along with a piece of advice that they wish they had known aged 14.

The conditions of the campaign, created by 'Havas EHS',features Wingman promising the first 1000 people who tweet a replacement product from its own collection along with a branded sticker featuring their piece of advice. The individual is then asked to stick the sticker on their unwanted gift and hand it down to a teenager of their choice.

The male grooming brand's Facebook and Twitter pages read; “We're taking on the unwanted toiletry gift set this Christmas... #‎handitdown to a teen in need and we'll air drop you a Wingman goody for FREE! Just tweet us a pic of your unwanted gift set with a piece of sage advice.”

Community spirit

The online campaign will run until the end of January and is proving particularly popular with Twitter users, who have left messages on the company's feed like; “It's the little things that count”.

The 'give back' to the community spirit is in line with Wingman's company statement; "We don’t have working hours, this is a commitment to being the best company we can be and that comes with no time constraints."

"We don’t measure success in terms of company profits, we measure it by the number of people who give a sh*t about our brand and treat it as their own," says founder Stuart Jolley.

Taking the male grooming market by storm...

Initially marketed at student clubs by entrepreneur Jolley back in 2009, Wingman has gone from strength to strength, achieving national success and gaining external investment.

Followed by business entrepreneur Theo Paphitis on BBC Two's "Britain's Next Big Thing' TV series, in which it won, the men's deodorising wipes and 3-in-1 Gels can be found on the shelves at Boots and Tesco.

Likewise, the company has also received investment from King of Shaves, with former CEO Will King personally endorsing the product.