Wahl Grooming: No Frills, Just Real Guys
Wahl makes clippers that let you cut your hair at home. They also make trimmers that are used to groom facial hair.
Most of the marketing in the men’s grooming category features male models, in super sleek settings. That’s not the Wahl customer. Our customers are everyday guys who are more at home in a Carhartt jacket than Gucci loafers.
Our Job
Show how regular guys –– not male models –– groom, with the “Real Guys, Real Grooming” campaign.
Return on Ideas
Results
During our partnership, Wahl grooming products have seen a significant sales increase, strengthening its #1 position in clippers and moving into the #1 spot in trimmers.
Television
Craft beer and beards just seem to go together. Our TV campaign showcased the four guys who started the Against the Grain brewery. These guys discuss how facial hair is part of crafting their image.
Athlete Partnership
Up to 40% of men use a clipper to cut their hair at home. To convince the other guys, Wahl enlisted All Pro receiver, and Wahl devotee, Jordy Nelson. He showed how easy it was to cut your hair and encouraged guys to “Make the Cut.”
Added Value Media
Extra. Extra. See all about it! Our paid media team negotiated an added-value bonus with MensHealth.com. The site created their own video content for “Real Guys” to encourage even more men to groom with Wahl.
Website
We created WahlGrooming.com to be the go-to site for information on haircuts and facial hair. The site included a gallery of different styles plus how-to grooming videos and tips. Tying it all together was the Products page, which let users buy the right tool for the look they wanted.
Display Advertising
Here’s to clutch hitting in October. Wahl’s Q4 media buy included a takeover of the baseball page on ESPN.com. Wahl drew more eyeballs and clicks by owning baseball during the playoffs and World Series.
Earned Media
Forget Wheaties. Facial hair is the key ingredient behind champions. We created light-hearted infographics powered by real stats to prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that All-Star players with facial hair outperform their clean-shaven counterparts.
Media Coverage
Web Video
Once guys see how easy it is to cut their hair, they’ll try it. So we created longer-format Web videos and showed how a group of baseball players look their best on their journey to the Major Leagues.
Earned Media
NFL players Mark Herzlich and Pierre Garcon faced off in the Wahl “Head-to-Head Challenge” to raise funds for pediatric cancer research. When Team Herzlich raised more donations, Mark got to shave Pierre’s head with a Wahl clipper, live on national television.
Media Coverage
Earned Media
Sure, Nike and Gillette can sponsor an athlete. A brand like Wahl thinks bigger. As the “Official Sponsor of Facial Hair,” Wahl became the first company ever to sponsor an athlete’s beard, in partnership with All Star Gio Gonzalez of the Washington Nationals.