Dive Brief:

• Regis Corp.-owned hair salon chain Supercuts this week rolled out a cross-channel campaign that shames people who take having hair for granted, according to details shared with Marketing Dive. The brand worked with agency TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles and director David Shane on the effort.
• Creative depicts actor Michael Kelly, who is bald, jealousy criticizing people with full heads of hair, including those who decide to shave it all off or clumsily attempt to give themselves a new 'do. The hero spot ends on Kelly imagining he's happily receiving a Supercuts haircut with a full mop, only to discover the situation is in his imagination.   
• The salon franchise has positioned the campaign, which touches on TV, digital and social, and additionally includes a refreshed look for Supercut's website and owned channels, around a broader push to ramp up marketing and technological innovation. Earlier in July, Supercuts debuted an Opensalon mobile app and Google feature of the same name that let users directly book appointments and check-in to retail locations.  

Dive Insight:

Supercuts is focusing on dry humor and the convenience of mobile and digital technology to modernize its brand and appeal more to younger consumers. The company has chosen to work with partners recognized for their dramatic and comedic work, including Kelly (Netflix's "House of Cards") and director Shane, who has earned ad industry accolades for his "black humor," per a bio shared with Marketing Dive. 

Putting a bigger spotlight on humorous messaging and digital offerings comes as Supercuts looks to differentiate from other value-priced hair salons. James Townsend, the chief marketer at Regis, in a press statement criticized rivals for leaning on "gimmicks and price tactics," and added that the current marketing looks to fashion a new voice for the Supercuts brand.

Great Clips, a key competitor, has recently dabbled in more digital and mobile initiatives as well. Last fall, Great Clips teamed up with Tyler "Ninja" Blevin, a popular Twitch creator known for streaming games like "Fortnite," on a app-focused sweepstakes. Earlier in the summer, the brand had rolled out augmented reality Snapchat Lenses that lets users virtually create "wacky" hairstyles. Snapchat, like Ninja, is favored among younger audiences such as Gen Z.

Minneapolis-headquartered Regis, which also owns the Cost Cutters and Pro-Cuts brands, has experienced some sluggish growth in recent quarters. It reported 0.5% growth in same-store sales, a crucial metric for retailers, in Q4 earnings results posted in January, according to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.

The company has been selling many of its franchise locations, including 133 locations in Q4 2018, per the Twin Cities publication. In June, Regis completed the sale of an additional 96 Supercuts locations in California to the Moxie Management Group, according to a news release.