• by Sarah Mahoney , March 30, 2026

Big changes are coming for Head & Shoulders. With new brand marketing leadership, Procter & Gamble's biggest haircare brand is looking to attract younger customers, with moves that include sponsoring Major League Soccer and forays into fashion and music in the coming months.

"It's a new day for Head & Shoulders," says Omar Goff, recently named North America end-to-end commercial leader for the brand, a new position, coming over from P&G's Mielle brand. "We're continuing to elevate the science of dandruff, and you're going to see some amazing new innovations, in terms of new treatments and a focus on scalp health."

Goff tells Marketing Daily that while the brand remains P&G's biggest haircare line, growth has been tepid. And rival Unilever  muscled into the market with the launch of CeraVe Anti-Dandruff shampoo in late 2024, a signal that the category is drawing serious new competition.

Head & Shoulders is intensifying its long-running connection to the NFL, building on spokesperson Troy Polamalu and Detroit Lions star Aidan Hutchinson. But it has also just announced a deal to become the official shampoo of Major League Soccer, as the world gears up for this summer's FIFA World Cup.

That includes a major new campaign with American MLS star Diego Luna — not to be confused with the actor of the same name — created by Univision*. And while the ads will run on linear TV, a place Goff acknowledges the brand has to be, the push for younger customers means it will lean more heavily into connected TV, online video, YouTube and social media.

Luna is a rising star, if not yet a household name. Goff doesn't see that as a liability: "He's got great energy, and he's edgy," Goff says. "We're looking to inject more of that in the brand, so that everyone can see themselves in what we do."

Hutchinson and Polamalu continue to star in humorous spots sparring with the Microbe, a character representing the dandruff-causing fungus known as Malassezia globosa. The Microbe — a kind of cute, Muppet-esque villain — gets relentlessly tackled by the two footballers, and has become an in-person asset as well, including multiple mischief-making appearances at the last Super Bowl.

Head & Shoulders has always leaned on humor, but Goff says there's been a slight tonal shift as the brand looks to go deeper on the science of dandruff relief. "The idea is to educate the consumer." The Microbe, it turns out, is a useful teaching tool,  helping viewers understand what they're actually fighting.

Head & Shoulders already performs well in Mexico, Goff says, and the MLS deal is an opportunity to strengthen ties with Hispanic consumers here at home.

Athletes, with their active lifestyles, are natural brand ambassadors, and Head & Shoulders plans to lean further into sports. "With soccer especially, you can't afford to be distracted by an itchy scalp," Goff says. "Athletics are a very natural role for the brand to play."

But the ambition extends beyond sports. Moves into music and fashion are coming, Goff says, over the next 12 to 18 months.

"It's time that we show up like the market leaders that we are. We're ready for growth."

*An earlier version of this story incorrectly credited Saatchi & Saatchi, which created the NFL-focused campaign. Univision is the agency for the ads starring Diego Luna.