For almost a decade, ghd has reigned supreme at the pinnacle of the hair industry. They are both the premium brand and also the de facto standard for hair straighteners.
Like Google, ghd hair straighteners have become so intertwined with straightening hair, that some people talk about “ghd’ing” their hair, meaning to straighten it, just as others talk about “googling something” when they mean to search for it.
However, with the departure of ghd CEO and co-founder, Martin Penny (although it is suggested that he retains a significant shareholding), along with the recent fall out with TWBA/Manchester their advertising agency, perhaps the time has come for ghd to look to renew and reinvigorate themselves for their, hopefully, second decade of hair dominance.
The news that original ghd supplier UNIL has appointed original ghd marketing gurus, Propaganda, to launch a serious competitor must surely be cause for some concern down ghd way? Although perhaps with the arrival of some competition, so ghd will up their game.
Certainly, their approach of releasing 3 or more limited editions a year seems to have run its course, with recent launches failing to capture the imagination (not withstanding the massive successes of the Purple ghd and the Pure white ghd). The Benefit Cosmetics tie-up was a clever idea to move the Limited Editions away from just colour changes, but is their really much synergy between make-up and hair care? Not really if the response to the promotion was anything to go by.
Of course, it is important not to get too negative. ghd have barely put a foot wrong since they first launched, and it is inevitable that a company moving from an entrepreneur-led hypergrowth company to management-led established player is going to have a few teething troubles.
Unlike other companies who try to complete a similar transistion in other markets, ghd still have the very best product and are still virtually unchallenged by a single serious direct competitor (if you leave aside the Babylisses of the world). They have a brand that probably ranks in the top for recall amongst their target audience and they are still undeniably “cool”.
Indeed, if ghd are at a crossroads, perhaps the only thing that can be said with certainty is that whatever comes next is sure to blow our socks off!
