Malaysian Media Awards Winners Showcase





2014 | |

Its Shampoo Advertising. But Where’s the Hair?!

Advertiser: Unilever Malaysia
Brand: Sunsilk
Creative Agency: Immerse Communications Sdn Bhd
Credits: Mindshare Malaysia — Chan Foong Mei (Media Planner), Saurabh Tyagi (Director – Client Leadership),Prajakta Paranjpe (Head of Planning),Looi Yew Mun (Senior Manager),Anne Leow (Head of Exchange), Susan Lim (Senior Manager), Sarah Boey (Manager - Digital), Hooi Yin Yin (Executive - Digital), Cassy Liew (Senior Executive), Shankar Rajagopal (Director – Client Leadership); Unilever Malaysia — Phoenix Ho (Brand Manager)

The Challenge
SunsilkClean&Fresh variant was formulated specifically for Hijab wearing young Malaysian women. Due to cultural sensitivities we couldn’t show hijab wearing women washing hair (usage) or flaunting hairstyles (proposition) in communication. This puts forth a unique challenge for Sunsilk – to advertise shampoo without showing hair!

The Solution – Insight & Idea
Insight: Search trends on Google and Yahoo! showed increasing trend for Hijab- styling related terms – all aimed at creating personalized ways of wearing the Hijab. Proprietary research conducted to understand this trend further revealed that by wearing the hijab these women conformed to their culture and religion & by styling it as per their choice they maintained their individuality and distinct personalities. In this process, Hijab was turning from being just a part of their religious attire to a fashion statement – within the confines of ‘Muslimah’ values. Strategy & Idea: Fusing the consumer insight with the brand communication platform, we decided to use ‘Fashionable Hijab’ to represent ‘Fashionable Hair’ in all communication targeting hijab wearing women. Sunsilk embarked on owning the ‘Hijab Fashion’ territory COMPREHENSIVELY on across various mediums targeting to this segment. Through these Initiatives Sunsilk aimed to build greater affinity with the Hijab wearing women & also highlight how Sunsilk can help keep their hair clean & fresh in shape for the perfect hijab. Given the evolving media landscape, it was imperative for Sunsilk to create bespoke content projects creatively using multiple media, each with clear defined role to address the evolving consumers’ media habits.

The Execution
Introducing new Hijab-styling: Digital & Magazine Sunsilk collaborated with hijab stylists to create styles for different occasions called ‘Sunsilk-Twist’. Online video tutorials were created to promote the styles heavily on Facebook, Youtube & other social platforms. Women in ‘Sunsilk-twist’ style appeared on the cover of Magazines targeted at hijab wearing women. Binding this style in Malay culture: TV & Digital To further popularize the Sunsilk style, we created a TV drama series called ‘Dunia Lola’ (AstroRia) about Sunsilk helping realize the dreams of young woman who wants to become a Hijab stylist despite life’s adversities. Making it larger than life: Fashion Reality Show through TV, Digital, Activation, Event We created a reality show showcasing the journey of the contestants (designers & models), selected from across Malaysia, under the mentorship of renowned hijab designers. It was aired on TV3 & TV9 as well as Sunsilk’s Facebook & Youtube. The winning designs & models walked the ramp of the IslamicFashionFestival (IFF). All above initiatives included hair care tips for hijab wearing women using Sunsilk.

The Results
Our campaign took the hijab-wearing world by storm! After a decline of –5 % in 2012, Sunsilk registered a +9% growth in 2013. SunsilkClean&Fresh variant (formulated for hijab wearing women) showed +11% growth. A double-digit boost for Sunsilk on brand image statements of ‘Making hair beautiful’ (26% to 43%) and ‘Clean & Fresh Scalp’ (53% to 68%) amongst Malay women despite not hair was shown in the campaign.