American Crew is the leading salon brand created specifically for men’s stylists. And we all know many men go bald, which for American Crew is a business problem in need of a solution.
American Crew’s Hair Recovery system is a part of the solution and so is Karsh\Hagan’s new campaign for their client’s new line of products. Karsh didn’t want to introduce American Crew’s Hair Recovery system with just another ad campaign. Instead, the agency sought to make the brand “the world’s most trusted source for honest answers about hair loss.”
I asked Matt Ingwalson, Senior Copywriter on the campaign, if a brand with “skin in the game” could actually be the most trusted source for honest answers about hair loss. He said, “I think so. Look at the content we published. In one video, an attractive woman says that hair loss has no impact on how she feels about a man. In another a stylist states that you can not re-grow hair once it is gone. I think it says a lot that the brand is willing to spend a large amount of money creating a source of answers for men dealing with this subject.”
Okay, let’s take a look…
The Denver Egotist calls the new campaign an “incredible show-piece campaign for Denver.” I think that’s going a bit far, but there are elements here that deserve praise.
Ingwalson said, “American Crew is a salon brand, and we wanted to make sure stylists know that this brand supports them at all times. Second, we wanted to let guys know that men’s stylists spend all day thinking about hair–how to style it and keep it healthy. We wanted men to realize that a stylist can be an invaluable, trusted partner.”
That’s where the website–Hairloss.AmericanCrew.com–comes in. Communications Arts likes the site. At first I wasn’t sure how much I liked it, or the vids, because I didn’t invest any time with the work. I saw the print and said to myself, “I’ve seen this before.”
Even though the print is sexy and mildly amusing, had the campaign stayed stuck in this frame, it would be in dire need of help. Thankfully, the 100 videos on the brand’s site and on YouTube provide that help by checking the ever-important authenticity box.
