• by Sarah Mahoney , over 1 hour ago

With the College Football Playoffs just ahead, Great Clips is launching a new national ad campaign. As it did last year, this one stars NFL quarterback Kirk Cousins, renowned for his love of the salon’s low prices and consistent quality. The Minneapolis-based chain is freshening the approach by teaming Cousins up with an unlikely buddy: Jesse Palmer, the ESPN college football analyst and host of “The Bachelor” (and the first professional athlete to appear on the franchise, back in 2004).

Cousins, a former Michigan State QB and current Falcons QB, shared his love for the brand over the summer on Netflix’s “Quarterbacks.” Great Clips pounced on that opportunity, introducing a “Hall of Fade VIP Card,” named for Cousins and his favorite cut. The giveaway doesn’t just unlock free haircuts for the lucky cardholder, but for everyone else in the salon, too.

The challenge was to keep building on that momentum, as the company looked for more ways to “integrate his authentic brand love into other relevant moments,” says Heather Leiferman, director of communications, in an email to Marketing Daily. “We really liked the idea of pairing Kirk, a former collegiate QB and current NFL pro, with Jesse Palmer, an ESPN college football analyst, to deliver our CFP campaign. This buddy duo is unexpected, but their personalities worked really well together across our television commercials and social content.”

To connect with customers and football fans, it’s important that the athletes feel natural, she adds. “Each year, we take a fresh look at the college football landscape as well as our creative around the College Football Playoff.” The goal is to find talent that helps the company stand out while still delivering the message that its more than 4,400 salons are “the right destination for your gameday haircut.”

Cousins and Palmer appear in commercials, social content and in-salon branding. The national promotion is scheduled to start at the end of the month, as hype about the playoffs builds.