HARRY'S: THE SCRAPPY RAZOR COMPANY THAT'S COMPETING WITH THE BEST
Nick Offerman uses them in moderation. James Harden is afraid of them. And Terry Crews does some pretty weird stuff with them. But whether you’re a professional basketball player, an accomplished entertainer, a skilled craftsman or otherwise, you’re likely familiar with one of the distinctive marks of mankind’s evolution: the razor.
I don’t have to give you a history lesson on the razor—the lethal weapon that severs us from the galling tyranny of our facial hair. I myself have employed the use of this tool most of my adult life. Yet despite this fact, I’ve never really given much thought to the instrument that grants me such freedom. Until now.
Enter Harry’s.
Harry’s is a shaving product brand riding the wave of competitively priced mail order grooming supplies market—a market which seeks to dethrone more established, high-priced shaving supplies like an untrained farm boy endeavoring to destroy an evil empire owned and operated by his estranged father. And so far, I can’t help but be impressed by the branding of this scrappy rebellion.
Let’s break down what the brand does well.
1) The logo icon. Ok, so there’s nothing fancy about this icon. It’s the word “Harry’s” in all caps, typically in navy and occasionally underlined with a double stroke in maroon. A shortened version of the logo simply includes the “H” with an apostrophe immediately to the right.
Though simple, the uniformity of the design actually gives the visual brand a very clean, straightforward vibe—a rather refreshing touch for a market seemingly full to the brim with futuristic themes reminiscent of the Transformers movie series. (Or possibly better than the series?)
Though simple, the uniformity of the design actually gives the visual brand a very clean, straightforward vibe—a rather refreshing touch for a market seemingly full to the brim with futuristic themes reminiscent of the Transformers movie series. (Or possibly better than the series?)
2) The elegant packaging. Is plastic and paperboard the definition of elegant? Not usually. But in this case, Harry’s does a nice job of creating their own brand of elegance out of simplicity, ease of use and the application of one of three unique tones from their distinctive color palette (more on that in a minute). See for yourself:
3) The color palette. Forest green. Subtle navy. And of course, the natural complement of these colors: bright, in your face, practically neon orange. If you order the Truman Set, the packaging and handle of your razor will come in one of these three color motifs. I’m not sure why they chose these colors specifically, but it is certainly a unique combination and—surprisingly—one that actually kind of works for me. Distinct enough to be memorable, yet oddly complementary.
Of course the packaging for their other products includes what I can only describe as a metallic teal and a chocolate brown combination, and their logo again features silver, white and red. As much as their color combinations seem all over the place, they manage to pull it off seamlessly and the result is a brand whose packaging is instantly recognizable.
4) The economy. Moving away from the visual brand, let’s look at one of Harry’s biggest selling points: it’s affordability. At $15, the Truman Set—complete with razor handle, shaving cream, three razor blades and a nifty travel blade cover—is hardly breaking the bank. For $10 more you can upgrade to the slightly more upscale Winston Set, which is still 170x less than you would pay for some toothbrushes.
5) The quality. According to Harry’s, their razors “may be the best-looking thing in your bathroom (other than you).” And while that may or may not be true, you can be sure that other razors in your area are definitely swiping right on your Harry’s razor at a pretty high clip. Harry’s prides itself on having their own factory in Germany where they produce all of their razors. Their five-blade heads offer a quality shaving experience that lives up to their brand.
This is really the cornerstone of Harry’s branding strategy—producing a high quality product while simultaneously reducing costs to the consumer, as is evident throughout their simple yet well-positioned ad campaigns:
6) The elephant in the room. Technically, it’s a mammoth. And it’s a part of their branding. I suppose it’s because mammoths are hairy. But likely the biggest reason they chose the prehistoric mammal as their mascot is their final branding characteristic…
7) Personality. Harry’s isn’t the LeBron James of razor companies. They’re more like the scrappy 6' point guard that exceeds all expectations and consistently surprises you with the unmatched quality of their game (we see you Trae Young fans!). Harry’s isn’t the superstar in this industry. They’re the underdog. And instead of viewing that reality as a pitfall, they have embraced it as an opportunity to be more personable and connected to their client base than their larger competitors can. A touch of humor and a bit of candor can go a long way in a marketing campaign these days, and so far Harry’s seems to have found a balance that works well for them:
So, should you buy a Harry’s razor of your own? Not necessarily, because until Harry’s decides to send me a check in the mail I’m fairly indifferent about what you decide to do with your personal life. But should you appreciate Harry’s brand identity as a timely example of how striking a clean, modern, no nonsense approach to branding can be? Yes, I think so.
Now get back to all of those important things you were doing.
