The story behind Promise

Have you ever heard this phrase:

This will never be sold anywhere other than hair salons.

They say that every product should have a story. It goes
with the territory, and it’s fashionable. We, too, have a story, but not because some marketing textbook says we should. Our story is true, which makes it all the more fun to tell.

It all started with a love of hairdressers and getting peeved
at seeing too many manufacturers promising too much. The product that was supposed to be sold solely and exclusively in salons was suddenly on supermarket shelves and, what’s worse, at a price that hairdressers’ margins could never sustain. Hairdressers put the product on the map, give it their blessing as professionals, and then supermarkets start selling them. We don’t think it’s right, let alone fair.

We, therefore, wanted to build a brand that lives up to its promise: one that is sold only in salons, is high quality, distinctive, and, above all, sells well. Its margins are good, and it stays right where it belongs: in the hairdresser’s till.

Want to bet half a million euros that Promise will never be
sold anywhere other than in salons? To make it clear as day to everyone that the Promise name is not just a marketing gimmick, we, Promise Helsinki Oy, promise to distribute 500,000 euros among all hair salons that have purchased Promise products if we ever sell Promise products anywhere other than in salons.

#
SUPPORT YOUR
LOCAL HAIRDRESSER

Ulla Lesevic, Markku Hakala, Petri Pesonen, Jari Laamanen in a group picture

Nice to meet you! From left: Ulla, Markku, Petu, Jari

the people behind the story

MARKKU, MAKE, HAKALA
Make was born in a salon. His father was a Cutrin salesman, a connection that led him to selling shampoo even before he drank his first beer. After many twists and turns, he founded Miraculos, sold it, and for a little while, tried to stay away from salons. But the withdrawal symptoms were too much for him to bear. Soon the idea of a best-selling new product began to smoulder in his head. If we’re being completely honest, Make never left the industry even for a second. He and his wife own a salon in Hämeenlinna, after all.

PETRI, PETU, PESONEN
Petu met Make during the Miraculos days. Petu was working at the advertising agency, Bob in Helsinki (nowadays Bob the Robot). There was this line of products called Four Reasons that needed to boost its sales. Its packages and marketing were revamped. The result was exactly what was ordered. The pals were so much in sync that on one chilly day, Make called Petu and asked, “What if we do the same again?”

ULLA LESEVIC
Ulla is a designer and in a class of her own in the field. During her career, she has overseen the visual identity of numerous haircare lines and several other beautiful and impressive creations. And when Make and Petu asked Ulla if she wanted to design a new haircare line with them, Ulla didn’t say yes – instead, she practically squealed with delight!

JARI LAAMANEN
Now, everyone knows Jari. With a long career working in major houses, he is well-known in Finnish hairdressing circles for his expertise and ambition, not to mention for being a darn nice guy. Jari heard about Promise, got excited about it, and jumped into the moving train. Which is great, because while it’s hard to define a true professional, you know one instantly when you meet one.

LEARN MORE about promise