A barber narrowly avoided trouble with authorities after distributing 1,000 fake parking tickets across town as an advertising campaign for his business. Jack Louis, owner of a men's grooming salon, scattered the promotional flyers - designed to resemble penalty charge notices (PCN) - on windscreens throughout Great Dunmow, Essex.
Rather than demanding payment for an alleged offence, the "tickets" contained a voucher offering £5 off a haircut. Jack, 35, revealed he was visited by police community support officers (PCSOs) regarding the marketing stunt, but defended his approach by arguing that escalating expenses mean "whoever shouts the loudest gets seen and heard".
Great Dunmow Town Council described placing materials that imitate enforcement notices as "inappropriate". Jack, who has operated the community barbershop for nine years, explained: "You have to reinvent the wheel and get creative.
"Some people have said it caused them stress - you have to respect that but it wasn't the intention behind it. I've got people talking, which was our aim, and I hope people can see both sides of the coin.
"It's helping us boost our business, getting a few more clients on board, while the voucher could help someone out if they're struggling to set money aside for a haircut. There was a purpose and a motivation to this marketing - as a business owner you can either sit there and do nothing or you can go out there and get more work."
Jack splashed out £140 on the marketing stunt, spending £70 on the fake PCNs and another £70 printing the vouchers which totalled £5k worth of discounts on haircuts. One local remarked on Facebook: "Open it, laugh, chuck it in the bin and go on about your day."
Another commented: "My partner found one on his car and was raging. I thought it was hilarious and ingenious." However, one resident wrote: "If you want some advice on proactive marketing, please let me know! This is not the way to do it! Disgraceful!"
The father-of-two explained: "We've been here for nine years but business has got harder because of the cost of living crisis, national insurance rises and even down to the price of hairspray.
"I spend £80 a month just on hairspray now. It used to cost me £3.75 and now it can be around £8. We have had to put our prices up and a cut can cost £35.
"There are seven barber shops on our high street alone. A lot of these shops can do hair cuts for £15 but there might be something else happening behind the scenes."
Jack, who also canvasses by distributing leaflets, explained the usual marketing typically ended up in the rubbish and stated he was eager to grab attention. The barber operates alongside four other self-employed stylists and insisted a proactive approach to marketing delivers results. He continued: "I've had around 50 people come in with their voucher. The police did pop in and ask why I did it. But it's not illegal. It did cause a stir in the community but it also has gained traction around Essex. I've got people talking."
A Great Dunmow Town Council spokesperson informed a local newspaper: "We are aware of reports that imitation parking charge notices have been placed on vehicles in the town, which, on opening, contain a promotional voucher for a local barber.
"We understand that some residents have been understandably distressed, believing the notices to be genuine.
"While no official penalties have been issued in this case, placing anything on a vehicle in a way that mimics an enforcement notice is inappropriate and risks causing unnecessary alarm."
The barber shop's Instagram can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/jacklouis.hair?igsh=MWRvY3ZjNnBsZjRrcw==
