The Brief

Pantene wanted to help women shine.But for the past years, the brand was struggling to maintain emotional relevance with its target consumer: professional women who have what it takes to succeed. Research showed a strong prejudice against women who are confident, assertive or career-driven. Unlike their male counterparts, they are seen and labeled unfairly. An assertive man is a boss, while an assertive woman is bossy. A career-driven man is dedicated, a career woman is selfish. What's worse, people have accepted these biases. For Pantene to help women succeed, there was a need for a conversation about what stops them.

Creative Execution

Pantene hair care is about beautiful transformations. To connect with women, the brand wanted a proactive role in helping them shine boldly. But instead of a superficially empowering campaign, the execution went deep into an issue in society that inhibits women from becoming their best. For the first time ever, a shampoo brand did not have a bottle shot or a hair stunt. It made the world face an injustice that happens everyday people have become blind to it. To quote Good Morning America, “it’s a shampoo ad that’s speaking volumes, and not just about voluminous locks.”

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

We aimed to put a spotlight on gender bias and get everyone talking about it.' Labels Against Women' kicked off with a film showing men and women doing the same thing but with one glaring difference: the labels used on them. Then we partnered with social news network Rappler.com and initiated the first-ever Philippine study on the issue. The research revealed alarming statistics that were shared in social networks and in a press conference led by influential women. The local insight rang true for women all over the world and the campaign #whipit and #shinestrong started a global conversations.

Results

For the first time, Pantene connected with the Philippine high-end consumer market. A segment they’ve never been able to penetrate – until now. The brand saw first significant gain in value share after 8 months of continuous decline. The film got 46 million Youtube views and ranked top 7 most viral video for 2014. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg called it ‘one of the most powerful videos I have ever seen.’ The campaign made one billion impressions, and received 25 million USD earned media value.There was dramatic increase in brand equity: 90% more likely to buy; 83% love the brand more.