Madison Reed: Filling the Gap Between Box Color and Balayage with Clarity of Brand Story and Market Position
BUILDING & BREAKING with Nina L. Kovner
Release Date: 07/24/2025
ENCORE Madison Reed: Filling the Gap Between Box Color and Balayage with Clarity of Brand Story and Market Position
BUILDING & BREAKING with Nina L. Kovner
I'm sharing this episode again because the salon industry continues to be confused about brand story, market position, and how that drives every decision you make for your salon business, including how you price your services. There is a market for everyone! In this episode of BUILDING & BREAKING, we take a closer look at how Madison Reed filled the gap between drugstore box color and major salon transformations by knowing exactly who they serve, what those clients value, and how to deliver consistency at scale. Madison Reed isn’t stealing your clients. They’re speaking directly...
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The Walmart Hairstylist: A Personal Brand Story of Care, Trust, and Value
BUILDING & BREAKING with Nina L. Kovner
On this episode of BUILDING & BREAKING, I talk about a TikTok that showed up on my FYP and stopped me in my tracks: a hairstylist working inside a Walmart salon known as @walmarthairstylist At first glance, I thought it had to be AI. Not because I was judging her. But because I rarely see content that shows this level of care, communication, and client experience coming from a value-based salon on TikTok. So I watched more. And then I read the comments. Hairdressers, from every business model and market position, from luxury salons to independents, were cheering her on. Katie is a...
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The Brand Lesson Beauty Pros Need To Understand from Costco, Trader Joe's & In-N-Out Burger
BUILDING & BREAKING with Nina L. Kovner
In this Extended Encore episode, we’re combining three episodes, from three iconic legacy brands, Trader Joe’s, Costco, and In-N-Out Burger, and what they all share in common, and can teach every salon, stylist, and beauty professional about the truth that never changes: your salon brand story is your foundation. Each of these brands knows exactly what problems they are solving, how they solve those problems, who they are solving problems for, and the solutions they deliver, and they never stray from it. Trader Joe’s isn’t trying to be Whole Foods. Costco isn’t chasing Amazon....
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Sundance Film Festival: How A Place Built A Brand and Why Leaving Changes Everything
BUILDING & BREAKING with Nina L. Kovner
In this episode of BUILDING & BREAKING, we’re talking why the nostalgia macro trend has become one of the most powerful trust-building forces in business and why so many brands are leaning into the familiar, the simple, and the human. Through the story of Sundance Film Festival and its decision to leave Park City, Utah, we take a closer look at what happens when a brand abandons the very home that built its experience and value, and why nostalgia isn’t about the past; it’s about trust. From film to beauty, the message is the same: your experience is your brand. Nostalgia might look...
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Apple: How Brand Clarity and Experience Design Built Trust and Reinvented An Industry
BUILDING & BREAKING with Nina L. Kovner
Apple didn’t just design products; they designed and consistently delivered an experience. In this episode of BUILDING & BREAKING, we look at how Apple used brand story clarity and experience design to build trust, reinvent retail, capture a significant share of the computer market, and reshape an entire industry, and what happens when that trust starts to erode. In This Episode How Apple’s brand story clarity and simplicity became its greatest competitive advantage Why experience design, not advertising, built Apple’s success The moment the rebel brand started to drift and...
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Why I Resisted Creating My Personal Brand (And Why I Can’t Anymore)
BUILDING & BREAKING with Nina L. Kovner
In this episode of BUILDING & BREAKING, we are doing something a little different. Instead of unpacking another company’s brand story, I’m sharing my own brand evolution, moving from Passion Squared (a business brand) to Nina L. Kovner (my personal brand), and why I created MENTORED. with Nina L. Kovner. This isn’t just a rebrand. It’s me stepping into what I’ve resisted the most: my personal brand, and the gift I’ve been given as a mentor. In This Episode · Why I resisted building a personal brand for so long · How content consumption has shifted since I...
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GAP: A Legacy Brand Finds Its Relevance Again by Reclaiming Its Soul
BUILDING & BREAKING with Nina L. Kovner
In the 90s and early 2000s, GAP wasn’t just a store; it was a cultural force. Then came overexpansion, distraction, and one of the most infamous logo fails in branding history. For years, GAP drifted in a sea of sameness, losing clarity and connection. But today, under the leadership of CEO Richard Dickson, GAP is staging a reclamation, not by chasing trends, but by staying true to its original brand promises and reclaiming who they are. Their latest campaign proves that legacy brands don’t need to reinvent, per se, to stay relevant; they need to evolve while protecting the soul of what...
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e.l.f. Cosmetics Revisited: The Broken Brand Promise We Didn’t Expect
BUILDING & BREAKING with Nina L. Kovner
In this short follow-up episode of BUILDING & BREAKING, we’re revisiting e.l.f. Cosmetics, a brand we recently celebrated for its clarity, consistency, and connection with its audience. But something shifted. After releasing their most recent ad campaign that contradicted their values-forward brand and staying silent when their audience called it out, e.l.f. showed us just how fragile brand trust can be. In this episode Why your brand promises aren't misson statements or marketing, they're a commitment What happens when brands veer from the values they’re known for Why silence can...
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Red Lobster: Losing and Rebuilding Brand Trust, One Decision at a Time
BUILDING & BREAKING with Nina L. Kovner
In this episode of BUILDING & BREAKING, I’m diving into the story of Red Lobster’s recent comeback and what it teaches us about brand clarity, decision-making, leadership, and trust. From the chaos of the Endless Shrimp promotion to the arrival of new CEO Damola Adamolekun, this isn’t a story about flashy reinvention or performative PR. It’s about showing up, listening, simplifying, and making decisions that align with your brand promise. In This Episode: · How Red Lobster lost alignment with its brand promise and how it showed up to fix it ...
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Rihanna & Fenty: The Power of a Personal Brand in Business, Leadership, and Building Trust
BUILDING & BREAKING with Nina L. Kovner
In this episode of BUILDING & BREAKING, we take a closer look at Rihanna, not just as an artist, but as a personal brand that has redefined what it means to lead, serve, and build businesses that matter. We explore how Rihanna’s brand began with a purpose, to challenge the lack of representation in beauty and culture, and how that clarity shaped everything from Fenty Beauty to Savage X Fenty. This isn’t about celebrity. It’s about service, trust, and an emotional, human connection. You’ll also hear why I’ve decided to transition Passion Squared to a personal brand after 13 years...
info_outlineIn this episode of BUILDING & BREAKING, we take a closer look at how Madison Reed filled the gap between drugstore box color and major salon transformations by knowing exactly who they serve, what those clients value, and how to deliver consistency at scale. Madison Reed isn’t stealing your clients. They’re speaking directly to the consumer who values the solutions they offer.
We explore how their simple, focused menu and product offering, Limitless Pro+ membership, and multi-channel strategy reflect a crystal-clear brand story, and why some clients will always prioritize simplicity, frequency, and comfort over complexity and transformation.
We also examine the deeper lessons behind trust, market position, and the pandemic-era controversy around at-home color kits, because sometimes what looks like competition is an invitation to find more brand clarity, staying focused on what your clients need, and always keeping lifetime client and customer value in mind when making decisions.
In This Episode
- The price pyramid and Madison Reed’s middle-market position
- Why some consumers seek simplicity, not transformation
- The Limitless Pro+ membership and brand story alignment
- What the salon industry can learn from pandemic color kits
- Why losing a client isn’t always a failure, and how it is an opportunity to seek deeper understanding and clarity
- The OPI TikTok moment and what it can teach us
Because when your brand story is clear, you create a connection. And when you meet your clients where they are, you build trust that lasts far beyond a box or tube of color or one visit to the salon.
If you are a salon owner, educator, coach, or independent stylist seeking more clarity and simplifying your decision making, click here to learn more about Creating Your Awesome Brand, a complete course for beauty professionals.
Thank you so much for listening and sharing this episode with your business besties!