Sport Clips Franchise Drafts Stone Ward As National Public Relations Firm

(Thursday, January 25, 2007) - Sport Clips, Inc., a sports-themed hair-care franchise for men and boys with 400 stores in 32 states, has chosen Stone Ward to handle its national public relations. The joint announcement came today from Susan Boresow, Sport Clips Vice President of Marketing and Millie Ward, President of the Little Rock based full-service advertising agency.

Headquartered in Georgetown, Texas, Sport Clips is one of the nation's fastest growing franchises. Entrepreneur magazine's January 2007 issue ranked the company the 72nd largest franchise in America, up from its 81st position last year, and the 49th fastest-growing franchise, moving one position up from its ranking in 2006. Designed to target a previously underserved market, Sport Clips caters to men and boys by providing hassle-free hairstyling in a sports-themed environment. It features televisions tuned to sports at each stylist station, basketball court flooring, stylist stations designed as lockers and lots of sports memorabilia throughout the store. The reception area looks like a baseball dugout and the hairwash and hot towel treatment space is called "The Showers."

Boresow said that in the $40 billion hair salon industry, Sport Clips stands out.

"Our unique business model appeals to men who normally procrastinate getting their haircut. At Sport Clips, we've made it a fun experience by injecting sports, which for most men is a serious passion, as a major part of our show," Boresow explained.

Boresow added, "From the moment you walk into our stores until you leave, you're surrounded by sports. We live and breathe sports and while in our stores, our clients receive a quality haircut at a great price."

PR Firm Selection

Sport Clips initially reviewed more than 20 public relations firms. A final four were asked to make presentations at the company's headquarters on January 9.

Boresow said this marks the first-ever national public relations campaign of Sport Clips.

"We believe in the power of PR and will use it extensively in our existing and target markets to help build more traffic in our stores, to better educate business leaders on the benefits of owning a Sport Clips franchise and to recruit more stylists to Sport Clips," Boresow said.

Stone Ward will be responsible for working with Boresow and her staff in designing and implementing a national publicity and sports marketing plan that creates more brand awareness of the fast-growing brand. The year-long campaign will target consumers, franchisee candidates and stylists.

Brenda Scisson, Stone Ward Director of Public Relations, said Stone Ward is a natural fit for Sport Clips. "Our agency's strong background in franchise and sports marketing and the PR team we assembled for national publicity placements is on-target for Sport Clips. We are fascinated by the concept of this franchise and look forward to helping tell its story, nationwide," Scisson said.

Boresow agreed. "We were impressed with Stone Ward's knowledge of the franchise industry, their strategic approach, and the enthusiasm they have for our brand," she said. "In this period of rapid expansion, Sport Clips will lean heavily on Stone Ward to help raise national awareness of our brand." Andrea Morrissey, Stone Ward Associate Director of Public Relations, will serve as Account Manager. Stone Ward has assembled a team of public relations practitioners around the country as a part of the agency team. Work on the account begins immediately.

Other Stone Ward national accounts include Terminix, Meineke Car Care Centers, Snap-on Tools and the American Taekwondo Association. Stone Ward, with $50 million in capitalized billings, has offices in Little Rock, Chicago and Boston. The agency's founders, Larry Stone and Millie Ward, established the agency 23 years ago in the River Market District in downtown Little Rock. Located in the Stone Ward Building at 225 East Markham, the agency employs over 50 professionals. Sport Clips was established in 1995 by Gordon Logan, Founder and CEO. Clete Brewer of Rogers, Arkansas, is President. Sport Clips is affiliated with NASCAR and is the "Official Haircutter" of several teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB) and National Hockey League (NHL). It is the official haircutter of Veterans of Foreign Wars and offers preferential pricing to veterans.

View all Sport Clips Press Releases

This article has been read 361 times.

Printer Friendly