It’s early November — a month when men across the world sport an uncharacteristic moustache to raise funds in support of men’s health — when The CEO Magazine catches up with Adam Garone, co-founder of Movember, at the World Marketing & Sales Forum in Melbourne. He’s been invited to the event to share the strategy behind the successful brand.
Adam’s carefully cultivated moustache is already impressive and he grins widely when asked about whether he’s compared his early mo growth to the facial hair stylings of Movember’s new CEO, Owen Sharp. Laughing, Adam admits, “There’s some healthy competition between the new CEO and outgoing CEO.” Then he adds diplomatically, “I’m kind of focused on my own personal fundraising, but he grows a good moustache.”
A healthy sense of humour
Healthy competition and a good sense of humour have been the backbone of Movember, a charity focused on improving the rates of men affected by cancer, depression and suicide. Over the past 13 years, an idea formulated in the pub between Adam, his brother Trav and a couple of his mates, has grown into the world’s only global men’s health charity.
“The fundamental mechanics of Movember are really not any different to what they were back then, with each guy raising 120 bucks and having a conversation. We just scaled it,” Adam says. “It’s no different to doing a 10km run for breast cancer. The difference was that we asked men to change their appearance for 30 days. Some people call us the laziest charity in the world for that.”
Despite the casual attitude, Adam stresses the men behind Movember were inspired by the women around them and their fight against breast cancer. “We just felt there was nothing for men and men’s health,” he says. “And the state of men’s health is not in good shape.” Since this initial lightbulb moment, Movember has raised $770 million towards prostate and testicular cancer research and suicide prevention.
“As CEO, I always told the staff of Movember, we’re just the ‘roadies’. Each year, we create this platform — like a stadium — and the true rock stars are the mo bros and sisters that participate in Movember. That attitude defined our culture.” – Adam Garone
Due to difficulty securing investors, Adam recalls the Movember juggernaut got off to a rocky start. “You’re investing in a social good, so there was no-one willing to invest in the organisation. A bank won’t give you a loan because they don’t want to be chasing down a charity if you default on it,” he explains. But passion and commitment prevailed. “We eventually got some sponsors on board and that was enough for a couple of us to work on the business full-time.
“We work so hard,” says Adam. “As CEO, I always told the staff of Movember, we’re just the ‘roadies’. Each year, we create this platform — like a stadium — and the true rock stars are the mo bros and sisters that participate in Movember. That attitude defined our culture.”
The power of the moustache
This dedication has proven extraordinarily successful when combined with the inherent hilarity of Movember. “Humour can change the world,” Adam says. While the charity is focused on very serious issues, he believes it’s the playfulness of Movember’s initiatives that have really helped get men, and the women who care about them, involved in volunteering and fundraising.
“There’s been no other movement for men’s health that has engaged men on the scale we have. If you start to talk to a guy about mental health, they’ll shut down — if they turn up at all. So we call the moustache our Trojan horse to get men engaged in their health. It’s fun, it’s all about the irreverence of growing a moustache with your mates and having a chat.”
Adam acknowledges there are moments when humour is inappropriate and he is pleased to finally be in a position where he can use the platform to push men into less comfortable conversations. As the sun rose marking the start of November this year, Adam and his colleagues laid out 191 pairs of shoes along Sydney’s Bondi Beach. The shoes were a visual representation of the average number of men who take their own lives each month in Australia.
“When you see that many empty shoes and you see how much space it takes up, let alone the devastation that’s been left behind, it’s really quite sobering,” says Adam, whose own life has been touched by the suicides of young men close to him.
Celebrating the tall poppies
Even though he has stepped back from the position of CEO, Adam’s entrepreneurial spirit hasn’t been dampened and he is continuing his efforts to make the world a better place. It’s a task he’s found more difficult in Australia than his new home in the United States.
“They celebrate success and entrepreneurship differently than in Australia. I love Australia and I love our culture, but it’s one aspect of our culture I’m really passionate about changing now,” he says. “Another passion project of mine is an organisational start-up with some mates in the US called the Tall Poppy Collective.” Adam’s new venture brings together Australians looking to make a success of their own project abroad. “We’re about celebrating the tall poppies and inspiring people to pursue their dreams and be successful,” he says.
Looking back over his experience leading Movember, Adam says he’s thought a lot about the difference between being successful and being significant. “I certainly know that I, and a lot of other people, spent the first half of adult life focusing on beingsuccessful.”
But he has found that being significant is the bottom line. “When you start to think about your legacy, for me, that’s about being significant. That could be in your house, in your street, in your community — it doesn’t matter how big or small,” says Adam. “I think if all of us focused on being significant, this world would certainly be a happier, healthier, safer place.”
Adam Garone spoke at the World Marketing & Sales Forum 2016 in Melbourne. For details on the 2017 World Business Forum, visit wbfsydney.com.
