I will start my first blog post with a confession: the Pantene Pro V commercials advertising shampoos and other hair products get me every time! It doesn’t matter what I’m doing, or whom I’m talking to. When I see a Pantene commercial on TV I can’t take my eyes away. I am hypnotized. I see the transformation from the girl with the curly, frizzy, unruly, rat’s nest hair and I identify with her. I think, This is what I look like every morning! I have bad hair days every day, too! And then I see the transformation. She uses the shampoo and conditioner in the commercial, and her hair is instantly transformed to silky, shiny, smooth and healthy hair. I think, It’s so simple! I can solve all of my hair problems and have gorgeous, shiny hair like her… if I use Pantene!
The sad truth is, it never works. I use their products, and my hair is still crazy-lady hair. What the commercials fail to tell you is that styling efforts must be made to replicate the hair you see on TV. You have to use Pantene defrizzing creams and hair serums and moisture lock hairsprays in addition to having a professional hair stylist blow dry it out and flat iron it and curl it. The commercials only show a girl with unmanageable hair, then shower, and then leave her upscale New York condo dressed, made up, and with perfect hair.
My Pantene pattern has been repeating for several years now. I see their commercials and rush out to buy their products. Once I realize that my hair is not instantly transformed to gorgeous hair, I stop buying their products for a while. That is, until a new Pantene commercial comes out, and traps me under its spell. This most recently occurred this past year when Pantene unveiled their new “Customized” Pantene commercials. “Customized” products are divided into four hair types: Fine, Medium-Thick, Curly, and Colored. The fact of the matter is, these products already existed, but were not categorized this way. (In 2000 Pantene underwent a major redesign, focusing on graphics, packaging, and the slogan, “Hair so healthy it shines”.
However, I identified the commercial for the Medium-Thick hair type. The commercial mentions that medium-thick hair gets so curly and frizzy because of humidity, but the Pantene Pro V Medium-Thick shampoos and conditioners uses a “science” that can reduce the effect humidity has on hair. Once again, I found little difference when I “washed and went”. Another problem I encountered was of the four hair categories, my hair fits into three of them (all but fine!).
I am not the only one that ingests the power of Pantene Pro-V. In 1990, Proctor & Gamble started promoting it worldwide, and within a few short years it became the world’s best selling shampoo. This surge in sales led to Pantene being re-launched in 1993, as Pantene Pro-V, named after P&G’s patented pro-vitamin formula. Pantene Pro-V’s slogan was, “Hair so healthy it shines.” This strategy created a strong brand identity with its innovative package design. The campaign was largely successful, making Pantene an even more global product, available in every major market in the world. Once again in 2000, Pantene underwent a complete makeover. It focused their products into collections and further designed the packaging to appeal to more women. And this past year, Pantene further refined their collections and simplified the difficult choice in deciding what product is best for whom. It is currently sold in 72 countries and is #1 in the market.
Although I am once again on my absence from using Pantene products and now use L’Oreal Ever Pure products, I can only wonder if I will be able to resist when Pantene comes up with a new ad campaign…
Source: Transforming the brand narrative: The global redesign of Pantene Pro-V. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4001/is_200301/ai_n9211992/?tag=content;col1
