• by Kelly Samardak , May 8, 2009

Conair Clean Head "Manscaping" Party, Lucky Strike, New York
May 6, 2009

What do manscaping, baldies, bowling, and beer have to do with online marketing, media, and advertising? EVERYTHING, people, EVERYTHING. Sometimes I get really great invitations like a mysterious hologramtastic announcement for Hennessey, or a shoe launch party, or even cake parties and my "oooo this is awesome" kneejerk reaction is to go, but then I realize that the OMMA angle isn't really there and that's when I feel like a schmuck and beg off. I just won't attend a party that I'm not covering. I mean, the PR person didn't invite me because they think I'm awesome, they want coverage, so why would I go and then not cover it? That would make me shiesty. So anyway, I get this invitation on Monday for a night of manscaping, bowling, and beer from Conair -- promoting their new Conair CleanHead. My dude is a baldy, so I had a victim, now I just had to find a spin...

Doing a little back and forth with Conair's PR Coordinator, I shook out that they just signed up with BrickFish to do a social media campaign. Let's see - BrickFish is a Red Herring Global 100 Winner for 2008, they've already done campaigns for Windows, IKEA, Glamour.tv, and a campaign after my own street photo-lovin' heart the  Recession Expression photo challenge. I would assume with the Conair CleanHead, they'll be looking for the best baldies out there. Of course I had to bring my own baldy, who is always looking for a better way to slick his melon. Clever that Conair chose bowling -- the resemblance is, er, striking.

First, to the bar -- and the food! I worked up an appetite walking all the way over to the West Side highway. Seriously, Lucky Strike -- no other real estate opportunities? There were pizzas, little cheese sandwiches, and coconut shrimp as far as my beady eyes could see. Already there was a line for the shaving chairs and you bet your bald head I forced the boy into guinea pig mode. Come on a tangent with me, will you? There's this great show on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim called "Aquateen Hungerforce." Yes, it's as bizarre as it sounds. Anyway, as the squat little shaver clicked on and my baldy began his trip into super-slickdom, all I could think of was the ATHF episode titled "The Shaving." Look it up, you'll chuckle.

What? You want to know if any industry types were there? Well there were-ish. Not the typical adversales biz-dev types, but magazine types -- those hearty "we're going to make this print thing work!" types. Bowling, munching, and making good use of the settees was Ken Sander from Penthouse. As I settled on the arm next to him and we traded our "this is what I do" one-liners, he sighed, "It's a tough time..." He's lost two jobs already due to the editors above him being canned and "my work depends on my relationships with the editors." So they go: he goes. That's rough - it's like you can't truly control your own path. Across the lanes from Penthouse Ken were Marcus Malloy and another Social Life magazine guy. Once again I revealed my guilty pleasure of "The Real Housewives of New York City" (which is quickly being trumped by the New Jersey version) saying that I never would have heard of Social Life if it hadn't been for the episode where Bethenny Frankel got the cover. I know, something is very wrong with me. 

Two young fellows with nametags reading "203" skittered by and struck up a conversation with Babe Rizutto of Conair (and daughter of the owner) and I just had to interrupt. Using my super sleuth skills I decided that 203 must be a lifestyle mag covering Connecticut.

I was right! Alex Mejia and the other guy whose name and card I didn't collect are looking to revive the Norwalk scene. Back when I lived in CT, it didn't need reviving - they had a great art scene, the clubs and lounges were always packed with glittery young tanned CT-dwellers, and every Friday as I wrapped up my last class at Western Connecticut State U, my friends and I would talk about where we were going in SoNo (South Norwalk, for you "I don't know what's outside Manhattan"-ites). I guess in the 5 or so years I've lived in Manhattan Norwalk lost a little shine - but 203 is looking to buff it up! 

As I walked around, snapping away, I found Josh Clutter from Inked waiting to get his dome pruned. And finally, as I made my last lap (as the boy took advantage of his newly streamlined head in the lanes) and stuffed just one more slice of pizza in my tooth garage, I found Laurence Christian and Pearline Horne of Liquid Magazine.

It's no secret that baldies are some of my favorite people, so really, why would I not cover a party dedicated to the hairless wonders of the world? Now, and don't be jealous, I'm off to cover a lunch over yonder hosted by Food Network magazine. The invitation has a gigantic juicy burger on it - so I'm feeling pretty positive. And, for those of you in NYC - the sun has been out a little today - so step away from the cubicle and take your lunch outside!

Oh! probably one of the funnier things of the night was Lucky Strike's dress code sign (no chains, people, no. chains.)  You can find it in the Flickr set so you, too, can chortle along with me!

Look at all the baldies!

Send invitations to kelly@mediapost.com!