The Campaign

On March 8, 2014, the United Nations used a piece of advertising to open the International Women’s Day Conference. The Pantene ‘Labels Against Women’ launch film showed men and women doing the same thing, but being labeled differently. This is how we started a conversation about gender bias. The brand wanted to help women shine. But research showed a prejudice against women who are too bold or assertive. So we talked about the issue in social media, radio, TV spots and online videos. The campaign challenged the beauty category and the way shampoo ads are done. For the first time, Pantene did not show a product or a hair stunt – and instead tackled an important issue. To quote Wall Street Journal, “There’s not a bottle of shampoo in the whole Pantene commercial, but if the objective is to spread a message it seems to be working.”

Success of the Campaign

‘Labels Against Women’ received over one billion impressions – with major international news programs devoting extended segments to talk about the movement. Although initially approached from a local standpoint, the campaign resonated globally. The film reached 46 million views. Earned media value gained up to 25 million USD with a reach of 350 million people around the world. The brand saw its first significant gain in value share after over 8 months of continuous decline. Dramatic increase in brand equity was also observed, showing a 90% increase in likelihood to buy, and 83% increase in brand love. Pantene has re-energized itself as a brand that champions women with an idea that started a movement that just won’t stop. Huffington Post commends the campaign by saying, “We have to applaud a piece of advertising that calls attention to the gender double standard, and inspires important conversations.”

Describe how the campaign/entry was launched and executed across each channel in the order of implementation.

Right after the launch, the film immediately gained traction, getting an endorsement from Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and becoming the most watched videos in the country’s entire advertising history. A press conference amplified the campaign by tapping key media influencers and female opinion leaders who came forward to talk about gender inequality. We continued to engage the audience online through social media posts, digital posters, and news articles. Radio spots and outdoor ads featured the labels used against women, as well as publicized the alarming statistics that reveal the prevalence of gender bias in modern society. Even the country’s leading female celebrities, Kris Aquino and Denise Laurel, came forward and – faced their labels in a TV spot and online film.