Here’s the situation. Garnier Fructis launched its first styling products for guys 18-24. They had little money and packaging didn’t stand out on shelf. Not to mention, these guys see right through marketing BS.We needed to make them laugh.

So, Garnier pretended to fall. In a spoof of branded content, The Harry Situation was a story with multiple arcs that lasted for months. A doomed sexual comedy that unravelled both on- and off-screen. But, one that was a success online. It was promoted by viral videos, paid media and a concerted PR effort. A teen craze called glue-balling also helped.

The result was millions watching millions of videos on thousands of sites. The story was eventually picked up by Stuart Elliott of the NY Times. It was all because Garnier decided to pull out.