Good Hair Day.
Pantene is doing away with the metallic banding on its caps to reduce costs and simplify its packaging.
Pantene is on a mission to save money by, among other things, simplifying its packaging and abandoning the gold foil on its closures that is the last visual reminder of the striking gold caps that once set the brand apart. But last week it spent money on an interesting advertising event that combined the appeal of reality TV with a great public relations opportunity.
It was a clever gimmick: Encourage women with great hair to compete for the title of Tabloid TV’s “Mane Girl” and become the “World’s First Reality Hair Star.” The grand prize was the opportunity to star in the company’s first live commercial, which was filmed in the same ambush style that Publishers House Sweepstakes Winners learn of their great fortune.
Pantene embarked on this unique campaign because they are promoting the newest generation of “customized solutions based on hair structure.” To support the reality TV theme – and emphasize the many different personal interpretations of what makes great hair – Pantene enlisted reality show personalities Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi (MTV’s Jersey Shore), Lauren “Lo” Bosworth (The Hills), and Jill Zarin (Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York City) and had each woman create You Tube videos giving their tongue-in-cheek explanation of why they should be Pantene’s Mane Girl.
None of the existing reality TV stars won the competition, of course. The honor went to Marissa Hopson, a Fort Lauderdale journalism student that Procter & Gamble says was “chosen based on her ability to be engaging and confident on camera, her personality, and of course – her beautiful hair.”
Pantene and P&G might wind up as the big winners, however, by connecting with a hip new audience through a medium they understand, and tempting us with the one thing every woman wants when she wakes up each morning: a really good hair day.