Herbal Essences

Contemporizing Brand Equity

Presented by:

Patricia Sabena

QRCA President ‘95 - ‘98

Patricia Sabena Qualitative Research Services SINCE 1965

What happened to the Herbal Essence brand?

Herbal Essence Shampoo...

• Launched by Clairol in 1971• Big success in the seventies• First to talk about “natural”

ingredients• Bottle and advertising

reflected the “flower power” spirit of the times

What happened to the Herbal Essence brand?

During the eighties, however:

• Other brands co-opted this “naturals” theme• The product began to look and seem dated• Advertising support was finally withdrawn• The brand merely languished on the shelf

What role did qualitative research play?

Between 1992 and 1999, focus groups explored...• The Herbal Essence brand equity• Various repositioning concepts• New ingredient combinations• Environmental packaging styles• Alternative print and TV campaigns• The post-launch competitive set• The relaunched brand’s personality• The potential for line extension categories

Who were the focus group respondents?

Female mass market shampoo users:

• Teens 15 to 17• Women 18 to 24• Women 25 to 34• Women 35 to 49

Phases conducted in:

• Connecticut• California• New Jersey• New York• Georgia

nostalgia, affection

long-haired girl flowers, butterflies dark green oval

bottle pleasant scent herbal

no awareness, outdated

grandma used it seventies, hippies too dark green

too strong, piney harsh, chemical

What were recollections of old Herbal Essence?

Strengths (+) Liabilities (–)

What repositioning concepts were devised?

Ancient Herbalist Environmentalist Custom Blending Nostalgia/Born Again Aromatherapeutic Science-and-Nature Refreshment Wisdom of Nature Rocky Mountain Spring Water

What became the relaunch strategy?

Relaunch the brand as Herbal Essences, with the plural “s” signifying:• newness• added value• multiple ingredients• multiple benefits

What were the key positioning communications?

1. How the carefully chosen herbal and botanical ingredients are better for the hair

2. What end benefits can be attributed to these unique Herbal Essences formulas

What ingredient combinations were explored?

Favorable connotations:• rosemary• chamomile• jojoba• aloe vera• thyme• mountain spring

water

Unfavorable connotations:• elder• burdock root• horsetail grass• nettle leaves

What packaging options were considered and rejected?

Although consumers claimed they wanted to be environmentally responsible they seemed only minimally informed and not fully committed to activist positions.

None of the environmentally correct packages appeared to be convenient enough to warrant consumer acceptance:

• boxes • refillables• pouches

What was the packaging breakthrough?

By 1994, new technology:• striking• crystal clear• see-through to• back-panel labels

Easily communicated:• newness• gentleness• herbal ingredients• refreshing scents

What consumer insights led to advertising development?

“Shampooing is a dulland boring routine.”

“With Herbal Essence,I felt refreshed when I gotout of the shower, clean,

like a cool breeze, invigorated.”

How did the ad agency break through category clutter?

Wells Rich Greene BDDP created highly memorable and compelling TV advertising touting the refreshing benefits of “an organic experience.”• “Totally Organic”• “Airplane”• “Black Book”

Saved from seeming smutty by humorous endings featuring older women also wanting “an organic experience.”

Where did the relaunch fit into the competitive set?

By 1997, the shampoo category had reshuffled itself into these clusters:• The Botanicals (Herbal Essences)

• The Wannabe Botanicals (a multitude of copycats)

• The Therapeutics (Pantene, Infusium, L’Oreal Vives)

• The Establishments (Finesse, Salon Selectives)

• The Cheapies (Suave, VO5, White Rain, Pert Plus)

MOST NATURAL

LEAST NATURAL

WO

RS

TF

OR

TH

EH

AIR

BE

ST

FO

RT

HE

HA

IR The Wannabe Botanicals

The Therapeutics

The Establishments The Cheapies

The Botanicals/Herbal Essences

 

What was the brand’s contemporized personality?

In projective psychodrawings...

• female, 16 to 39, median age 25• young single or young mother• contemporary name (Jennifer, Melissa)• nature-oriented name (Flora, Marigold)• contemporary sports clothes• flowing cotton skirt and sandals

What was the brand’s contemporized personality?

In projective psychodrawings...• student, artist, florist, nutritionist• businesswoman, secretary• flowers, plants, bottled water• sports equipment, a cell phone• carefree, spontaneous, smart• spunky, confident, optimistic• natural beauty, outdoorsy, healthy• caring, sensitive, outgoing, popular

What was the brand’s contemporized personality?

Depicted saying...

“Let’s go camping or bike riding this weekend.”

“I live by my own rules but respect all others.”

“I don’t eat meat because I’m a vegetarian.”

“I love my family, my job; I enjoy life to its fullest.”

“I love being a woman and it’s great to be alive.”

“I’m one natural chick!”

“Life is beautiful and my hair smells good.”

What was the brand’s contemporized personality?

A far cry from the images of its past...

What was the brand’s viability in other product categories?

Herbal Essences Hair Styling Aids Line launched February 1996

What was the brand’s viability in other product categories?

Herbal Essences Body Wash Line launched June 1997

What was the brand’s viability in other product categories?

Herbal Essences Facial Care Line launched June 1999

What was the brand’s viability in other product categories?

Herbal Essences Hair Color launched 2000

How successful has Herbal Essences been?

Changed the shampoo category by becoming the new standard of packaging excellence for all other shampoo brands

Spawned a multitude of copycat products as new brand entries (e.g., Willow Lake) or line extensions of existing brands

How successful has Herbal Essences been?

Total 1998 revenues for all Herbal Essences products were more than $300 million

Total 2000 revenues for all Herbal Essences products were $1 billion dollars

Brought Hair Care Division more prominence at Clairol, Inc.

What do consumers advise for the future?

In 1997, focus group respondents constructed scrap art team collages advising the brand to:• stay cutting edge• maximize natural• enhance serenity• emphasize performance• soften the sexuality• expand the target audience

How did consumer insights aid strategic outcomes?

Overall, qualitative research revealed that:

• The old Herbal Essence still evoked some affectionate memories

• Its naturals equities could be recast in a contemporary way

• Its breakthrough packaging could help contemporize its image

How did consumer insights aid strategic outcomes?

Qualitative research also revealed that:

• Provocative advertising based on consumer insights could break through category clutter

• The rejuvenated brand has very broad target audience appeal

• The relaunched brand has remarkable line extension power

What synchronicity causes the brand’s success?

Crystal clear and striking packaging promises and delivers cleanliness, purity, natural ingredients, no buildup, great fragrance.

While fragrance appears to be a compelling feature of the brand, it is only part of its clean and natural persona.

What synchronicity causes the brand’s success?

The brand’s TV advertising is an attention-getting juxtaposition of innocence and sexuality.

It manages to generate a sense of the Herbal Essences woman as independent, confident, carefree and self-actualized.

What synchronicity causes the brand’s success?

Although teenagers comprise a core group of users, and older women remember its heritage, the brand projects a twentysomething image.

Contemporizing and relaunching Herbal Essences has brought it a long way from the outdated hippies and elderly grandmothers associated with its original seventies products.

What is the relevance to you?

This qualitative research provides a template for contemporizing other tired or outdated brands: • What internal or external factors have caused

the brand to fall behind?• What is happening in the competitive set that

impacts the brand?• What can be retained or renewed from the

existing brand equity?• What is needed in order to rejuvenate the

brand’s image and appeal?

Contemporizing Brand Equity

Relaunching the Herbal Essences Brand

Why contemporize a brand’s equity?

Brands become old-fashioned or tired because they:

• have a brand name that sounds “out” or outdated

• cut back or cut out advertising and promotion spending

• lack meaningful product news or point of difference

Why contemporize a brand’s equity?

...or because they:

• lose touch with their own users and/or category users

• fail to modernize packaging style, colors, graphics

• get lost in the influx of new entries that seem more relevant

• do not launch line extensions or launch too many line extensions