Background

Sunsilk is Malaysia's no.1 hair care brand, but its position is threatened in Health & Beauty retail channels like watsons as there has been an explosion of new brands and innovations. Shoppers in this channel behave very differently, as they are keen to experiment with new products, to learn about new trends, and are more involved with knowing the product that they are buying into. With stiff competition, Sunsilk needed to react to this threat with a disruptive launch and provide an answer to the distinct shopper needs here. To back Sunsilk's growth, we went back to the fundamental principle - understand young girls' needs, and what are the latest product trends in beauty and hair care. Sunsilk launched its first ever co-creation hair care range, found only in Watsons Malaysia.

Describe the strategy

In line with the famous quote 'Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I'll learn', Sunsilk 'involved' Didi Astillah and Watsons representatives to join the journey of product co-creation at Sunsilk's R&D Hub. They personally handpicked product ingredients, fragrance and designed this range. A co-created new line of Naturals Hydration range was launched, designed for Malaysian girls. To 'involve' our consumers, a nationwide survey was carried out to among 1000s of Malaysian girls to identify the top 2 natural ingredients that girls look forward to seeing in their hair care routine. These ingredients were then used to create the hair care range. By providing this rare and unique experience to be directly involved in product co-creation, it also helped strengthen Didi’s knowledge of hair care and helped her transfer that knowledge to her Gen Z followers.

Describe the execution

A seamless Online + Offline shopper journey was devised. QR code printed on product incentivized shoppers to sign up for monthly promos that drove redemption online and in-store every month. Attractive POS at Watsons called out product benefits. Precision marketing was adopted on FB & IG to customize creatives using the 3 prominent segments (Nature Seekers, Beauty Mavens, Innovator) to drive awareness. A fun AR filter game was integrated with a special promo code. Leveraged Didi Astillah network on IG & YT. Other micro Influencers gave authentic product reviews. Engaging content articles about the unique launch were featured on top publisher websites like Says. To close the loop online, first party data was leveraged for 1-1 email marketing with promo codes for redemption at Watsons. All consumer data collected were re-targeted with promotional ads. A true partnership with retail for a seamless consumer experience - from awareness to conversion.

List the results

Being a digital only campaign, the astounding results showed the power of 'involve'! - The campaign achieved 1.5X reduction in CPM - The use of Didi and Watsons generated RM 609,000 worth PR value - Overachieved 30% in sales vs forecast - +212% in Sunsilk sales vs. past 6 months in Watsons channel - Sunsilk reached to become the 2nd biggest portfolio in Watsons (within Sunsilk Portfolio) QUOTE FROM CLIENT (Chloe Meng): Strong brands create connection with the people who buy them, not just because they offer great products to buy, but also because they offer an idea to buy into.