How Two Haircare Brands Used Gen AI to Rework Existing Campaigns

Gen AI makes it easier to tackle this complexity without losing focus on what matters most. It gives brands the tools to explore new ideas, refine details, and produce assets at a scale that would otherwise be hard to manage. For haircare marketers, it’s an exciting way to create campaigns that feel personal and fresh, whether the goal is launching something new or reimagining what’s already there.

Example 1: Creating visuals for a summer campaign

‍The Challenge
A global haircare brand wanted to find out what Gen AI could do for their summer campaign. Their main goal was to create visuals that featured realistic hair textures and tones, showcasing different styles that would resonate with their audience. They also needed to adapt their 60-second TV ad into shorter, platform-friendly formats without compromising on quality.

The Solution
The team experimented with hundreds of variations, using AI to generate images, adapt product visuals, and create a range of polished assets. Through this process, they captured authentic hair textures and styles that felt true to their brand.

Pencil also made quick work of adapting their TV ad, cutting it down to a 15-second version in less than 90 minutes - a fraction of the time this would typically take.

The Results

In just five weeks, the brand produced a wide variety of assets ready for their summer campaign.

• 1,819 image experiments
• 300 creative experiments
• 102 final creatives, including new visuals and a cutdown TVC

This approach allowed the team to produce high-quality assets without sacrificing time or creativity.

Example 2: Expanding two existing campaigns

The Challenge
Another haircare brand wanted to explore how Gen AI could help them build on two of their existing campaigns. They were looking to scale two concepts for global audiences while keeping the campaigns authentic and relatable.

‍The Solution
The team worked with AI tools to refine the campaigns’ visuals and messaging, staying true to their original concepts while exploring fresh ideas. They adjusted elements like skin texture, lighting, and hair appearance, creating imagery that felt real yet aspirational.

The campaigns were scaled for platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, with each format tailored to fit its specific audience. Copy was also translated into German, allowing the brand to maintain consistency across markets.

The Results
By iterating on their ideas and leveraging AI, the brand was able to create a wide range of campaign assets that connected with their audience.

• 301 image experiments
• 228 creative experiments
• 120 final creatives, including 15-second video ads, carousel ads, and banners

This process allowed the brand to scale its campaigns efficiently, while still keeping the visuals and messaging on-brand.

These two examples show how Gen AI is reshaping haircare marketing by addressing both creative and operational challenges. For one brand, it meant creating stunning summer visuals that truly celebrated the diversity of hair textures and styles. For another, it enabled them to scale and adapt campaigns across platforms and markets while keeping their messaging authentic. By embracing Gen AI, haircare brands are finding new ways to tell stories that resonate deeply with their audiences.