Background

Japan’s LGBTQ population is larger than many other countries – it is estimated that 8.9% of population is LGBTQ. However, the awareness on gender and sexual diversity is still lagging behind the rest of the world, and the majority of the LGBTQ community still suffer from prejudice. Discriminatory remarks against LGBTQ by politicians and corporate executives continue to heard. Such as “LGBTQ people are not productive” by one of the members of National Diet, and “If all Japanese women were lesbian or all Japanese men were gay, then do you think the next generation of people will be born?" by an assembly member for Tokyo's Adachi Ward. Also, legislation advocating for LGBTQ rights such as same sex marriage or acknowledgement of children between LGBTQ couples, is also ignored or avoided. With the social mood, most of the manufacturers and brands have stayed silent and not been brave enough to stand

Describe the cultural / social / political climate in your region and the significance of your campaign within this context

SOCIETY WHERE DESCRIMINATION AND PREJUDICE TOWARDS LGBTQ ARE PREVALENT. Japan’s LGBTQ population is larger than many other countries – it is estimated that 8.9% of population is LGBTQ. However, the awareness on gender and sexual diversity is still lagging behind the rest of the world, and the majority of the LGBTQ community still suffer from prejudice. Discriminatory remarks against LGBTQ by politicians and corporate executives continue to be heard. Such as “LGBTQ people are not productive” by one of the members of National Diet, and “If all Japanese women were lesbian or all Japanese men were gay, then do you think the next generation of people will be born?" by an assembly member for Tokyo's Adachi Ward. Also, legislation advocating for LGBTQ rights such as same sex marriage or acknowledgement of children between LGBTQ couples, is also ignored or avoided. With the social mood, most of the manufacturers and brands have stayed silent and not been brave enough to stand up and talk about the issue, fearing the backlashes or unfavorable feeling towards them.

Describe the creative idea

#PRIDEHAIR – A CALL OUT FROM TRANSGENDER EX-JOB HUNTERS AS FIRST-EVER ROLE MODELS. Pantene introduced two transgender ex-job hunters, who called out to the next generation of job-hunters. “Male or Female, which should I do my job-hunting as?” – while most job-hunters worried about their career path, they had to worry about their gender. Sharing their unimaginable struggles and the experiences they overcame that only they would know. These first-ever role model stories gave LGBTQ and even non-LGBTQ job-hunters the courage and pride to express their true selves and let the hair stand out where blending in is the norm.

Describe the strategy

IT’S PERSONAL STORIES, NOT DATA What can we do to make society care? We met two former job-hunters. One is a trans man who, after a year of wondering whether he should job-hunt as a man or a woman, did job-hunting as a woman with ponytail. The other was a trans woman who was true to her gender in job-hunting with her long hair. Their true stories would inspire both companies and next generation LGBTQ job-hunters.

Describe the execution

THEIR VOICES REACHED NATIONWIDE AND BECAME A MOVEMENT Pantene #PrideHair was launched nationwide through TVC and YouTube video as well as newspaper ad, social posts, OOH, cinema ad. Furthermore, to ensure the movement changed society beyond just a piece of one-off content, Pantene launched the “#PrideHair Salon” project with an aim to increase LGBTQ-friendly hair salons. We’ve partnered with hair salons to create customer service guidelines and educated salons nationwide on LGBTQ awareness. So that now LGBTQ people from all over Japan are able to obtain a hairstyle that represents their true selves.

Describe the results / impact

OVER 1,000 SALONS NATIONWIDE JOINED #PRIDEHAIR SALON #PrideHair film achieved over 20 million views just in 1 week from launch, receiving an overwhelmingly positive reaction (95% of the YouTube comments were positive). Featured by over 210 media nationwide, #PrideHair earned over 1.3 billion media impressions, and social media engagements exceeded 300MM. Twitter quotes include, “This ad can’t, and shouldn’t, be skipped,” “#PrideHair is creating a new era,” “The campaign goes above and beyond simply slapping a rainbow on a corporate logo.” The impact goes beyond job seekers to hair salons nationwide responded to #PrideHair. More than 1,100 hair salons nationwide have joined in #PrideHair Salon project, and the number of salons is still increasing.