The Brief

The term “cutting edge” may be overused, but in the Hong Kong fashion scene it’s as real as it is elusive. Global VS Sassoon needed to invigorate the brand and sell product, and doing so required winning over the local “Fashion Junkies” and their influential word-of-mouth network. The goal was to utilize both traditional media and the fashion blogosphere to promote VS Sassoon’s Look of the Season, a look that could only be perfected with Sassoon branded product. Success would be measured by achieving critical share of voice during the competitive Fall/Winter fashion season, and driving increased product sales during the high profile experiential promotion and in the months following.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

We gave the promotion an edge at every angle, seeding new “Moveable Shape” haircuts as the trend with fashion influencers in traditional and online media, and physically bringing the styles to life through VS Sassoon’s first pop-up salon – where we sampled exclusive product and offered free make-overs to daring Hong Kong fashionistas. Simultaneous promotions targeted social media, fashion and lifestyle blogs, and wattsapp profiles. A high-profile “Fash Mob” turned heads at the launch, and Moveable Shape collaborators Mark Hayes and Alexander Wang and Chinese style icons Pius and Dorothy made special appearances to endorse the looks and VS Sassoon styling products.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

The word on the street became VS Sassoon. • 560,000+ consumers visited the OOH pop-up salon in just eight days • 2,200+ consumers received exclusive designer product samples • 80+ stories of earned print and online media coverage, including blog posts by 13 influential star bloggers, saturated the Hong Kong media scene • We drove more than 6,000 likes (a 40% increase) on the VS Sassoon HK Facebook page • Advertising value equivalency (HKD) 1,142,046+ • VS Sassoon achieved #1 Share of Voice against competitors, November – December, 2012

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

Fashion consumers love to know what’s hot. But they don’t often take the word of the brand itself. The world of hair trends is driven by self-appointed “fashion junkies,” the people who passionately follow the industry, seek and identify trends, and pass along news and endorsements through traditional, and increasingly online viral formats. Our strategy was to identify the most influential figures in the Hong Kong fashion scene and make them part of an exclusive brand experience: the launch of VS Sassoon’s Look of the Season – the new Moveable Shape. Branded promotional events would be big, visual, stylish and disruptive, but behind every element of the campaign was a plan to inspire free buzz from the fashion streets.