Men's Haircuts Can Be 'Game Changers,' Sport Clips Says

“Ow, my coccyx!”

In the first of three funny spots below, a middle-aged suburban guy groans after falling from a ladder. His tree trimming went painfully awry. Can’t he attempt DIY and stay out of the hospital?

And why can’t he eat hotdogs every day and still look ripped? Or dry dishes without soaking his shirt?

Is there no place on this great green Earth where a dude can have it all?!

Probably not. But there’s a sports-themed haircutting franchise that vows to provide a fun and relaxing grooming experience.

That would be Sport Clips, which makes its case in a trio of cute commercials developed with agency Preacher and Ruckus Films director J.J. Adler.

“Once it became clear it was all about comfort and relaxation–not energy and exhilaration–we were off to the races,” says Preacher ECD Greg Hunter. “Because making this ‘need-to-do’ feel like a ‘get-to-do’ is rare. Especially among national hair care chains. You can get a haircut anywhere. Sport Clips is more like getting away with one.”

The ads actually say that men can “have it all” at Sport Clips. That’s probably true—as long as we’re talking about stuff like blow-drys and shaves. Beyond that, we’re on our own.

“As a category, men’s haircuts can lack fandom and loyalty,” says brand CMO Martin Lee. “Our task was to get men who think of haircuts as a chore to see Sport Clips as an experience intentionally designed for them–and one they will look forward to. It gives them a break from everything else on their to-do list, while also checking something off on their to-do list.”

That’s not quite “having it all.” But on a really stressful, overwhelming day … it’s a game changer. Which is the campaign’s tagline. Well played, Sport Clips.

“For the tree-trimming scene, our actor’s stunt double was also doubling as his ladder holder,” Hunter recalls. “So to anyone driving past, it basically looked like a twin-owned tree-trimming company at work. An extremely accident-prone, twin-owned tree-trimming company.”

“And while we believe all dogs are good boys, we did have to call in a backup canine after our first choice caught a case of the ‘squirrels.’ And to his credit, he came in off the bench and delivered.”

He adds: “One debate we had on set was whether our creepy farmer should be holding a pitchfork or a grim-reaper-style scythe. We shot both. But in the end, we decided he didn’t need Death’s go-to weapon to make us fear for our lives.”