16 Hair Authority Summer/Fall 2019
Embracing the Future
Michael Napolitano, CEO Things aren’t like they used to be. Yes, people still want to look good. In fact, they want to look better than ever before, but it’s a different kind of look. It’s not a cover up or an add on or make-over look, It’s the look of wellness. Men and women today are eating better, sleeping better and exercising better. Welcome to the organic, hydrated, selfie era. Marketing in this fast-changing environment is no longer about making sales, it’s about making friends. To promote your brand or product you have to bring value to the relationship. So how do you connect with an image driven, selfie generation? A smart place to start us by solving a problem; removing a source of discomfort. And few things are as discomforting as hair loss. Thinning hair is acutely personal and everyone experiences it differently. For some, it may be a lack of confidence in a social setting. For others it might be anxiety about a critical event like a date or an interview. Then there are the dreamers. People who follow fashion and celebrities. They are more likely to be drawn to evocative imagery and the world of imagination. To create aspirational campaigns for this audience requires a special kind of vision and imagination. The important thing is to understand your market - and to show you understand in a compelling way. That’s why The Authority wanted to talk with HairUWear, a company that has stayed in tune with the market over several generations of hair care customers. HairUWear has been a pioneer in personal marketing and continues to set the pace. Maybe it is because the company’s CEO comes from an IT background. Or is it because the management team was assembled for its imagination? Whatever the reason, HairUWear is an undisputed leader in hair additions, wigs and extensions. In the men’s hair loss market, when other companies were promoting hair as a cover up, American Hairlines, a HairUWear company, told viewers that their hair was part of their wardrobe, part of how they presented themselves to the world; a fashion accessory. In the highly intimate women’s hair loss market, the company invited visitors to “Imagine” how hair could bring style and confidence and offered “Hair Like You” that would enhance their lives without changing them. As most other brands continued to talk about the product or the company, HairUWear bonded with its customers and made friends.