• by Sarah Mahoney , Staff Writer @mahoney_sarah, July 31, 2024

While parents have probably been clueless about their kids’ use of slang since Adam and Abel, Gen Z’s TikTok-fueled lexicon is extra baffling. Delulu? Giving? Caught in 4K? Great Clips knows parents aren’t cool enough to keep up, so this back-to-school effort focuses on getting them up to speed -- and getting their kids to come in for a fresh style before September rolls around. Lisa Hake, Great Clips’ vice president of marketing and communications, explains the campaign.

Retail Insider: This campaign has lots of pieces. There’s the TV spot with NSYNC’s Joey Fatone and his daughter Kloey, the quiz, the glossary, the influencers acting as translators, and 24,000 free haircuts. What inspired it?

Lisa Hake: We did things differently this year. In February, we had a vendor summit with all of our agency partners and asked them to work together, putting themselves in the mindset of parents, our target audience. An idea that kept coming up was how parents struggle to be cool with their kids.

They want to communicate with their kids and have questions about this new language kids and teens are speaking these days. And we honed in on helping parents better understand their Gen Z kids and what those kids need to feel good for that first day of school.

Retail Insider: You are the largest salon company, with over 4,000 locations. Any insights into how customers are changing?

Hake: I wouldn't say they are changing. They are still busy, especially this time of year. They know haircuts play a central role in kids’ confidence walking into that first day of school. It’s more like, “How do we talk to parents in a way that will get them to pay attention?”

Retail Insider: How did that lead to Joey Fatone?

Hake: We were brainstorming about who these parents were in their teens, thinking back to the ‘90s and early 2000s. So, of course, we thought of boy bands, NSYNC and then Joey. And knowing he has a 14-year-old, the partnership made so much sense.

Retail Insider: The slang divide between parents and kids is as old as time. The reason kids invent slang is precisely so grown-ups won’t understand. Is Gen Z that different?

Hake: It does feel like a whole new level. A lot of it has to do with social media, with so many content creators and influencers out there. As soon as an expression becomes mainstream -- or as soon as adults know what it means -- kids come up with a whole new language. Slang changes constantly. I should know. My teenager often tells me how cringey I am.

So we kept asking, “How could we talk about this in a way that’s ownable for Great Clips?” We’re not cool or hip, and we don't get the Gen Z slang ourselves. Joey Fatone obviously doesn't, either. We decided to partner with these Student Slang Translators, three teacher influencers. They work with students and are playing translator to millions of followers across social media.

Retail Insider: Teacher TikTok is hysterical. But I bet parents find it helpful, too.

Hake: Yes. They are talking about the slang they hear in their classroom. They’re kind of poking fun at these expressions but also helping parents know what their kids are talking about.

Retail Insider: What’s the goal of the campaign?

Hake: To drive people to our website. We’ve got a Look Book there, so a parent struggling to understand what haircut their kid wants for back to school can see examples. That’s an insight that came from our salons. Stylists say parents and kids bring in pictures from magazines and social media but can’t describe the cut they want.

We’re looking for earned media mentions and using paid media as well.

We like to see traffic, energy, and motivation going into our salons.

Retail Insider: What about pricing?

Hake: Everyone is looking for a deal or an offer during back to school, and parents feel financially strapped. Haircuts continue to get more expensive, along with everything else, so offering this $5 off coupon tied to our campaign is a way to get the audience to engage.

We started with 24,000 free haircuts to get attention for the campaign, which worked extremely well. We sold out in less than three hours of those haircut offers. Even better, 50% of those redemptions have been with new customers.