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About the Work
On March 20, 2020, Barba Men’s Grooming Salon, along with every other “nonessential” business in NYC, closed due to the pandemic. Owner Xavier Cruz, whose doors were shuttered and whose income was nonexistent, sought a way to stay connected to his customers while also giving back to the community.
By week 4 of lockdown, Google searches for home haircuts were up 400% and botched haircuts were flooding the Internet. That’s when we decided to launch Quarancuts Virtual Hair School: one-on-one, guided haircuts, via Zoom, by Cruz himself—all complimentary. Everything was run from Barba’s Instagram—virtual appointments were booked by DM and edited videos of the haircuts turned into episodic IGTV content, released every week. Our first student? Fashion icon Billy Porter, who posted about his experience on all his channels, spreading the word.
Quarancuts quickly took off! Barba’s website traffic rose 823% and its Instagram got a 32% increase in followers. It caught the attention of the press, including LIVE with Kelly and Ryan, People, Access Hollywood, Good Morning America, Oprah, etc., garnering a total of 2.4 billion earned impressions. So when Barba reopened on June 22, 2020, the salon’s appointment book was full. Cruz actually raised the profile of his small Chelsea barbershop during one of the most challenging business climates in history.
By week 4 of lockdown, Google searches for home haircuts were up 400% and botched haircuts were flooding the Internet. That’s when we decided to launch Quarancuts Virtual Hair School: one-on-one, guided haircuts, via Zoom, by Cruz himself—all complimentary. Everything was run from Barba’s Instagram—virtual appointments were booked by DM and edited videos of the haircuts turned into episodic IGTV content, released every week. Our first student? Fashion icon Billy Porter, who posted about his experience on all his channels, spreading the word.
Quarancuts quickly took off! Barba’s website traffic rose 823% and its Instagram got a 32% increase in followers. It caught the attention of the press, including LIVE with Kelly and Ryan, People, Access Hollywood, Good Morning America, Oprah, etc., garnering a total of 2.4 billion earned impressions. So when Barba reopened on June 22, 2020, the salon’s appointment book was full. Cruz actually raised the profile of his small Chelsea barbershop during one of the most challenging business climates in history.
2021 Awards
Total Points: 3
Merit
Credits
Agency
Terri & Sandy / New York
PR / Marketing Agency
Lawlor Media Group / New York
Art Director
Josh Sun
Copywriter
Ry Radermacher
Creative Director
JP Gomez
Designer
Alex Vazquez
Associate Creative Director, Art
Benita Antony
Associate Creative Director, Copy
Natalia Davila
Senior Copywriter
Mark Carlson
Co-Founder & Co-CEO
Sandy Greenberg
Terri Meyer
Principal & CEO
Norah Lawlor
VP, Strategic Marketing
Ann Lawlor
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