Head & Shoulders had strong UK brand awareness but lacked cultural relevance with Gen Z males, a digitally native audience that actively rejects traditional advertising and expects brands to show up with entertainment, humour, and cultural currency.
While the brand was familiar, it wasn't chosen or talked about by young men who value irony and authenticity over polished messaging. The challenge was clear: take a legacy brand and an iconic ambassador like Claudia Winkleman and make them resonate with a generation that demands content feels native, shareable, and genuinely worth their attention. This required a fundamental shift in strategy, new platforms, new formats, and new talent that could credibly reach Gen Z men and the partners and parents who influence their grooming purchases.
The solution was an unexpected cultural crossover that leaned into humour: pairing Claudia Winkleman, beacon of great hair and long-standing Head & Shoulders ambassador, with Farmer Will from Love Island, a symbol of modern, aspirational masculinity. Swapping Claudia from sequins and Strictly studio lights to wellies, muddy fields, pigs, cows, and sheep created sharp contrast and genuine comedy that played out naturally on TikTok.
By plugging into Love Island's cultural moment and letting the humour feel organic rather than scripted, the campaign humanised the brand, refreshed Claudia's image for younger audiences, and made Head & Shoulders feel entertaining, self-aware, and culturally plugged in. The result was embedding the brand into the content and conversations Gen Z already loves, moving from simple recognition to real affinity and desirability.
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