Haircuts and Branding: A Lesson in Transformation
In college, I got a single haircut over four years—a questionable strategy for hair but an interesting lesson for branding. I was reflecting on this fact as I was scheduling a recent hair appointment, the first after lobbing it off at the beginning of summer (I promise this has to do with brand). This was the first time I had gone for a cut above my shoulders since I was a kid in my ugly duckling era, so I milled over the decision for at least two appointments prior. Part of it felt like being torn between two appealing menu options at a restaurant—the kind where you hope you meet a resolution by the time someone arrives to take your order. Maybe I would just hop in the seat, and the magic words would come out of my mouth: “Chop it,” instead of, “Just trim it to the usual,” followed by the small list of seasonal adjustments.
When I committed to the chop, I came armed with pictures. I expressed my areas of hesitation to my stylist, communicating what risks I felt the change bore and what I wished to avoid. She checked in throughout the process, ensuring that the length was right, the bangs sat correctly, and it had enough texture. She blew it out and turned me around to an Anna Wintour-esque bob that had me like 😳 before adding some more framing and texture with dry cutting and attacking it with a curling iron. We successfully avoided recreating the nightmare of my nine-year-old self’s hair: the hair that kept me from making major changes to my style for years.
While the cut is her skill and handiwork, the result and sustained success of the outcome is a partnership. It also helps that I come in with a realistic understanding of my hair. I understand the role it plays for me in my day-to-day life. And while I’m far from an expert, I know more about product and technique than my clueless child-self did (and she has educated me along the way, too).
Hair and Identity
Hair transformation is integral to appearance. How we are perceived and how we feel about ourselves can be intrinsically linked to our hair.
In this way—and skewing a little into the territory of Elle Woods—a bad haircut can feel akin to a quick-and-dirty rebrand initiative. Marketers know the danger of a hasty refresh that feels disconnected from the brand’s real identity. It’s the equivalent of that pixie cut no one asked for: mismatched, out of place, and struggling to fit what you know and feel about yourself (in branding, this kind of decision-making often leaves marketers and stakeholders hesitant to embrace profound change in the future). Similarly, an amazing hair transformation can renew your sense of self, presenting you in a new light and bolstering previously unrevealed depths of your character.
And both results lie heavily in the hands of partnership—cultivating trust through the establishment of real expectations, education, and continued assessment. Serious augmentation to brand identity can’t rely on spur-of-the-moment decision-making. You can’t simply wait for the waiter to arrive and hope the selections made toward your brand’s visual expression were correct. You can’t allow decisions to be made that you hope the brand will grow to fit later.
A Tale of Two Approaches
In this vein, I recall watching an old episode of Mary Portas: Queen of Shops, where she takes the reins of rebranding a salon, and a guest expert began chiding the stylist for not asking enough questions—imposing his vision on the client instead of listening, researching, and understanding the style she wanted. The expert said something to the effect of, “Hair isn’t just a piece of clothing. It must go with everything; you can’t just change it back.” Unfortunately, the client was left with a nightmare pixie cut instead of the mid-length layered locks she wanted—a result that sits a long way off from the successful style transformations we watch and excitedly cheer on across other shows with more integrated approaches, such as Queer Eye.
This difference between these two approaches lies in the understanding of the brand’s value proposition. A haircut doesn’t magically transform a person into someone else. It provides insights into real truths and drivers, aligned to the world in which they reside. Queer Eye lands because it encompasses a 360-degree view of an individual. You understand their individual context and personality before Jonathan jumps in with a host of styling tools, elevating his client’s vision within their unique context—not his desire to convey his expertise and artistry as he individually sees fit.
Branding Is No Different
The same principle applies to branding and design. These aren’t purely artistic pursuits—they’re strategic ones. Successful branding is about aligning your business’s roadmap, truth, and values with a creative strategy that brings them to life visually and meaningfully.
Take Olipop, for example. It doesn’t stand out by mimicking Coca-Cola’s visual strategy, even though both compete in the beverage market. Olipop’s value proposition—rooted in health, nostalgia, and natural ingredients—drives its distinct design approach, creating clear market differentiation.
The Key Takeaway: Branding, like haircuts, is a partnership. It requires trust between stakeholders, thoughtful decision-making, and a deep understanding of your brand’s identity and value proposition. Without that, you risk mismatched visuals or a disconnect between how your brand presents itself and the truth of what it offers.
So the next time you’re thinking about a haircut—or a rebrand—remember: the magic lies in collaboration, context, and alignment with what’s real. Remember:
Ask the right questions: What’s driving this rebrand? What’s non-negotiable? What are the current challenges of the brand in its everyday use? What about the brand reflects its current reality and what is mismatched?
Ensure your team aligns on and leads decision making throughout creative strategy development with the brand’s value proposition. Continue to verify this alignment throughout the process.
Like hair, brand identities need maintenance—don’t neglect the small “seasonal” adjustments that keep things fresh and aligned to your market and business’ greater context and current goals.
