Established in 1982, Great Clips was one of the first brands to address consumer demand for fast, value-based hair care services, creating a walk-in salon concept that ultimately revolutionized the industry.

Almost 40 years later, with over 4,400 salons in the US and Canada, Great Clips was facing competition from other salon chains and needed to reinforce awareness and preference among their target audience (males 18-34), who often had trouble telling brands apart. They needed a campaign that would immediately differentiate them from their competitors while remaining simple and accessible to their pragmatic, value-focused base.

And speaking of pragmatism, the fact was, Great Clips’ target customers didn’t really care what made Great Clips great. What they did care about was what made Great Clips great for them. Could they get in at a moment’s notice? Would Great Clips’ stylists understand how to cut their hair—and would they be skilled enough to make it look good? Our brand campaign positioned the Great Clips customer as the hero, with friendly, skilled stylists as their sidekick, highlighting what sets Great Clips apart from competitors and allowing the audience to easily see how these features could benefit them.

The results of the campaign were, well, great. The work earned high praise from internal and external audiences alike while outpacing category and medium averages in target audience testing, proving our insights had resonated—and positioning Great Clips to continue its market dominance for years to come.