Sunsilk

Sunsilk is the name of a brand of hair care products for women produced by the Unilever group. It was launched in 1954 in the United Kingdom. By 1959, it was available in eighteen different countries worldwide. Currently, Sunsilk products are available in over 50 countries throughout Asia, The Middle East, North Africa and Latin America, where is known as "Sedal".

Old Campaign

In the early years, Sunsilk focused much of its marketing attention on gaining international presence. To do this, they targeted different market segments or countries with specialized products designed to address hair "issues" of each culture. For example in the UK, the core benefit in the 1960s was shiny hair.

High interest internationally led to a dramatic decline in support in the United States and UK. Because of this, many years went by with little or no advertising which caused the brand to be viewed as targeted at older women. Although this was not Sunsilk's intention the outcome was inevitable.

During the 1980s a push viewed by many Unilever insiders as "last-ditch" was made to revitalize the brand in Australia followed by other countries [Renewing Unilever: Transformation and Tradition, by Geoffrey Jones] . The advertising featured Beverly Hills stylist Dusty Fleming and although this was successful in Australia the impact on the brand in the UK was catastrophic. By 1991 the former No1 shampoo product was delisted in the UK.

Because of the brand loyalty among older users, combined with almost a generation of non-use, Sunsilk found it very difficult to gain market share and attract a younger audience.

A new campaign was launched to recruit younger users. To do this, products also needed rejuvenating. Sunsilk decided that in addition to segmenting markets country by country, they should also segment by hair type within each market. The new products focused on hair color, texture, feeling, dryness, etc. The updated Sunsilk campaign, "Get Hairapy", followed the same strategy, marking a bold move towards users in their 20s and upwards said to be in their "quarter-life crisis". The target audience was also defined as single, fashion-conscious, working women who economized when looking good: women "on-the-go".

The new product lines, which feature product threesomes include: Anti-Flat, Anti-Poof, Hydra TLC, Straighten-Up, De-Frizz, No Major Issues, ThermaShine, Beyond Brunette Color Boost (Auburn tones and non-highlighted brunette colorers) and Blonde Bombshell (all over blondes and highlighters).

Sunsilk also updated its website to reflect its realigned image. The new site, www.gethairapy.com, became the main focus of the campaign. Commercials and print ads encouraged direct response via the website which included a "get hairapy" blog.

The blog is written by "The Hairapy Guys", a trio of young men with "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" appeal. The aim of the Hairapy Guys is to act as lifestyle specialists with thoughts and tips on hair care, dating and other typical twenty-something issues. The blog tagline is "help you laugh away your hair and life problems". The myspace account attracts as many as 18,000 subscribers. The Hairapy Guys have also been incorporated into various television shows such as “the Best Week Ever” where they engage in celebrity gossip, “Flavor of Love” with 30-second promos on the hairstyles of the would-be girlfriends, and fashion shows on the E! channel.

Life Can't Wait

Sunsilk’s latest campaign, Life Can’t Wait, aims to inspire women all over the globe to live their lives to the fullest. To launch Sunsilk’s campaign the brand unveiled their Life Can't Wait advertisement during the Super Bowl XLII on February 3 2008. The founding idea behind the campaign is that hair can dramatically alter a girl’s mood and actions. The philosophy behind it is that by taking appearance into their own hands, girls are equally taking positive steps towards being more in control of their life: “Hair On= Life On”

The Life Can't Wait campaign features three of the world's most iconic women; Madonna, Shakira and Marilyn Monroe, who all symbolise the power of expression and making life happen. Spanning four continents and fifteen countries, the campaign showcases these universal icons and reveals significant and life-defining moments in their lives: moments which inspired them to discover themselves, their identities and their always-evolving styles.

Sunsilk is targeting young women across the world, giving them the opportunity to share with each other their own life stories fitting the Life Can’t Wait theme – of how they have thrown caution to the wind and taken a chance which resulted in a life changing experience!

The US were first to launch Life Can't Wait, and have hosted an event where girls with great hair shared their life can't wait stories. Girls from the USA voted for their winner, a DJ from California named Tatiana.

Background to the campaign

Created by DeGrippes Gobe in Paris, the Life Can't Wait campaign was born from the global insight that hair, more than any other physical attribute, plays a crucial role in a girl's power to transform and express herself. Research conducted in six countries with 3,000 women revealed the universal truth that twenty-something women find having "good" hair can be a trigger for seizing opportunities.

The Sunsilk Global Survey was carried out by Sunsilk in Thailand, India, Brazil, USA, Russia and Mexico between August and September 2007. One finding from the research was that ‘eight out of ten girls (84%) worldwide had missed out on something good – such as a pay rise or a blind date – because they didn’t have the confidence to act instantly and take risks.

2007 Viral Video Campaign on YouTube

In early 2007, Sunsilk launched a viral video on YouTube known as the Bride Has Massive Hair Wig Out clip. This video was filmed in a "Cinéma vérité" style as if it were a real incident, complete with coarse language.

Apparently shot by one of three bridesmaids, it shows a bride (Canadian actress Jodi Behan) so unhappy with her hairstyle on her wedding day that she starts cutting it off.

The video quickly became popular and many sites widely linked to it. Viewers, and eventually the news media, began debating whether it was real or staged. Two weeks later, after the clip had been viewed 2.8 million times, it was revealed to have been part of a campaign created by marketing firm Capital C, for Unilever for its Sunsilk brand of hair care products, and removed.

It featured actor Jodie Behan and her sister actor Jessie Behan (who plays the most attentive bridesmaid) and John Griffith directed and videographed it.

Other Information

Sunsilk is one of the most popular brands of shampoo in India.

It has different types of colors for different hair issues (i.e. blue for poofy hair). British pop group Girls Aloud signed a one-year deal worth £1.25m in April 2007 to promote the brand, with Sunsilk sponsoring their in return. [ [http://itn.co.uk/news/1989ab8b4eeeec8d8bf2ea72ecd29bce.html Girls Aloud land shampoo deal] ITN News]

In Malaysia, there exists a Sunsilk commercial featuring a Muslim woman who, oddly enough, does not have her hair shown.

In Philippines, it is currently the number 1 shampoo.

In Vietnam, it is currently one of the most popular shampoos.

In Mexico and other Latin American countries, the brand is known as Sedal, "seda" meaning "silk" in Spanish.

In Turkey, the brand is known as Elidor.

References

External links

* [http://www.lifecantwait.com/ Life Can't Wait new campaign website]
* [http://myspace.com/lifecantwait.com/ Sunsilk's Life Can't Wait] MySpace
* [http://www.sunsilk.com/ Official Site]
* [http://www.sedal.com.mx/ Official Site - Mexico]
* [http://www.sunsilkgangofgirls.com]