Aveda: From Salon Experience and Relationship Building Innovator To Fracturing Lifetime Customer Value
BUILDING & BREAKING with Nina L. Kovner
Release Date: 05/08/2025
Olaplex: How a Brand Built on Bonds Can Rebuild Trust with Salons and Hairstylists
BUILDING & BREAKING with Nina L. Kovner
Olaplex didn’t just create a product, it created a category. It provided stylists a new language around hair health and made the salon pro, at every level, feel more confident, understood, and seen. But as the brand scaled and shifted toward the consumer market, something got lost: connection and community. In this episode of BUILDING & BREAKING, we explore how one of the most iconic and beloved brands in pro beauty lost its focus, fumbled the moment trust was most at risk, and what every salon owner, stylist, and professional beauty brand can learn from it. In This Episode: • Why...
info_outline
ENCORE Costco: A Masterclass In Trust, Brand Promises, and Lifetime Team and Member Value
BUILDING & BREAKING with Nina L. Kovner
We're off this week, so please enjoy an encore of the first episode of BUILDING & BREAKING in case you missed it. Be back next week with a new episode! In the premiere episode of BUILDING & BREAKING, Nina dives deep into one of the greatest brand loyalty stories of our time: Costco. Through personal reflections as a newer Costco member (yet longtime studier of the brand) and decades of experience in brand strategy, Nina unpacks why Costco continues to build lasting trust, while other brands seem to be breaking it. This episode breaks down the fundamentals behind Costco’s success:...
info_outline
In-N-Out Burger: The Power of Simplicity, Brand Strategy, and Staying in Your Lane
BUILDING & BREAKING with Nina L. Kovner
This week, we’re driving straight into the In-N-Out experience, a brand that’s never chased trends, but instead chose clarity, consistency, and connection. No chicken sandwiches. No seasonal drops. Just a focused menu, a powerful brand promise, and systems that deliver, over and over again. In This Episode: Why In-N-Out’s brand promise is embedded into every experience The power of a simplified menu (and what it teaches us about over-complicated service menus and product lines) How consistency builds lifetime customer and client value Why slow growth is sometimes the smartest growth And...
info_outline
Trader Joe’s: How Brand Story Creates Connection & Builds Trust Through Every Decision
BUILDING & BREAKING with Nina L. Kovner
Trader Joe’s isn’t just about $3.99 flowers or dark chocolate peanut butter cups, it’s a masterclass in brand clarity and alignment. In this episode, we break down how every decision they make, from no delivery to no self-checkout to no coupons, is driven by their brand story (which includes brand promises), and why it keeps us coming back (even with those chaotic parking lots). Because brand clarity isn’t a constraint, it’s freedom. In this episode: Why Trader Joe’s brand story is so clear and why it matters How saying no to delivery and self-checkout protects the experience The...
info_outline
Starbucks: How Losing Focus On The Brand Experience Cost Them Barista & Customer Trust
BUILDING & BREAKING with Nina L. Kovner
In this episode of BUILDING & BREAKING, Nina unpacks Starbucks: the iconic brand that built its success on human connection and consistent experience, and what happens every time it drifts away from that brand promise. From Howard Schultz’s bold 2008 shutdown all U.S. stores to reconnect with the baristas and Starbucks experience, to this year’s decision to cut 30% of the menu, Starbucks follows a familiar pattern: build, overcomplicate, break trust, and then attempt to refocus on their brand and what made them successful to begin with. Nina shares what salon owners, hairstylists, and...
info_outline
Taylor Swift: How Storytelling, Emotional Connection, and Healthy Boundaries Built A Personal Brand
BUILDING & BREAKING with Nina L. Kovner
In this episode of BUILDING & BREAKING, Nina breaks down one of the most iconic personal brands in the world, Taylor Swift. This isn’t a fangirl episode (though Nina is a Swiftie, duh). This is about a personal brand and consistent leadership, grounded in brand clarity, emotional connection, and healthy boundaries. From how Taylor speaks the language of her audience to how she uses storytelling to build trust and community, this episode explores the exact strategy behind her global impact. You’ll learn how to apply Taylor’s brand genius to your salon, business, or beauty brand,...
info_outline
Target: How Knee-Jerk Decisions Break Trust and Erode Lifetime Customer Value
BUILDING & BREAKING with Nina L. Kovner
In this episode of BUILDING & BREAKING, Nina breaks down Target’s trust crisis, not as a political conversation, but as a brand case study. Why did loyal shoppers like Nina, who went to Target every week, walk away? What lessons can salon owners, hairstylists, creative entrepreneurs, and beauty brands learn about lifetime customer (and client) value, consistency, and the cost of making decisions that are totally off-brand? Nina contrasts Target’s missteps with Costco’s long-game brand clarity, sharing real-life examples of how knee-jerk decisions can break trust and shrink long-term...
info_outline
Aveda: From Salon Experience and Relationship Building Innovator To Fracturing Lifetime Customer Value
BUILDING & BREAKING with Nina L. Kovner
In this episode of BUILDING & BREAKING, we’re diving deep into the legendary story of Aveda: how it rose to beloved icon status, what fueled its global success, and how it lost its way. Nina Kovner, former beauty brand VP, educator, and lifelong observer of Aveda’s rise and evolution, breaks down the brand’s rise under Horst Rechelbacher’s visionary leadership, its pioneering of nature-powered beauty, wellness, and the groundbreaking experience design that set it apart. We dive into how Aveda’s sale to Estée Lauder shifted its trajectory, the disconnect that followed, and the...
info_outline
Costco: A Masterclass in Trust, Brand Promises, and Lifetime Team and Member Value
BUILDING & BREAKING with Nina L. Kovner
In the premiere episode of BUILDING & BREAKING, Nina dives deep into one of the greatest brand loyalty stories of our time: Costco. Through personal reflections as a newer Costco member (yet longtime studier of the brand) and decades of experience in brand strategy, Nina unpacks why Costco continues to build lasting trust, while other brands seem to be breaking it. This episode breaks down the fundamentals behind Costco’s success: their unwavering commitment to lifetime customer value, keeping brand promises (no matter the pressure), investing in their people, and always playing the long...
info_outline
The End, The Beginning, and Everything In Between
BUILDING & BREAKING with Nina L. Kovner
Why I’m Ending the PEOPLE PASSION PURPOSE Podcast—and Starting a New One That You Absolutely Need To Hear In this final episode, I share why I’m closing this podcast and what’s next: Building & Breaking with Nina L. Kovner, a new show about how brands are built, how trust is broken, and what it all means for salon owners, beauty brands, and creatives. It’s the end of one story, and the start of something deeper. Thank you for being here, whether you've been a listener since 2018, or are just jumping on this wild and wonderful ride. Episode 1 of Building & Breaking...
info_outlineIn this episode of BUILDING & BREAKING, we’re diving deep into the legendary story of Aveda: how it rose to beloved icon status, what fueled its global success, and how it lost its way.
Nina Kovner, former beauty brand VP, educator, and lifelong observer of Aveda’s rise and evolution, breaks down the brand’s rise under Horst Rechelbacher’s visionary leadership, its pioneering of nature-powered beauty, wellness, and the groundbreaking experience design that set it apart.
We dive into how Aveda’s sale to Estée Lauder shifted its trajectory, the disconnect that followed, and the hard lessons every salon owner, hairstylist, and beauty brand must learn to protect their own brand trust. From brand clarity and experience rituals to salon partnerships and loyalty, this is a powerful lesson in what it takes to build a sustainable brand and what happens when you drift from your core brand story.
Whether you’re a salon owner, stylist, or pro beauty brand exec, this episode is packed with actionable takeaways on brand story, staying focused, and rebuilding trust when things go off course.
In This Episode:
- What made Aveda the blueprint for nature-powered beauty brands
- The role of aromatherapy & sensory experience in lifetime client value (the amount of happiness, joy, referrals, and revenue a client brings you over the lifetime of your relationship with them)
- How clear brand stories, including brand promises, fueled growth, and where clarity faltered
- Lessons on brand erosion: leadership shifts, inconsistency, lost connections and broken promises
- What salons & pro beauty brands can learn (and apply right now)
- Why clarity, consistency, and care are everything
For salon owners & hairstylists: Get inspired to infuse meaning into every part of the client, team, or tenant experience, strengthen relationships, and keep your brand story at the heart of everything you do.
For beauty brands: A real-world reminder of how brand trust is earned and how to rebuild when it breaks.
If you want to learn more about how to build your salon brand with a solid foundation, click here to learn more about Creating Your Awesome Brand, A Complete Course for Beauty Pros.
Thank you so much for listening!