I burned some study time productively the other day and flipped through some recent articles posted on BrandWeek. I came across this one in particular, and felt that I had something constructive to say about it.
The article itself is fairly boring; I wouldn’t bother reading it if I were you. Basically the idea in the article is that P&G is struggling to sell its shampoo line, Pantene. They’re throwing some hundred million dollars into a new ad campaign that will tout better quality, stronger hair, or something, and will feature some pretty girl with glossy hair in the commercials. Pricing and positioning stays the same, though. According to the article, Pantene’s position is “a value buy that’s just as good as salon brands, but less expensive.”
I guess they think that will work. I don’t see the logic or the niche behind a “value” brand that’s the most expensive of all the value products. But I suppose I’m maybe not the target market here.
Why am I writing about a women’s shampoo product, then?
I actually never suspected that Pantene was in trouble as a brand. Truth is, I’m a longtime Pantene user – not that I’ve ever bought the stuff myself. All through growing up, I left the shampoo decision making to my mom and sister. So there’d always be a bottle of Pantene in the shower, next to some old bottle of slum-poo. Figuring my sister had better knowledge on the benefits of hair care products than I, I’d always use her shampoo instead of my own. (I wonder if my mom ever picked up on the fact that my sister was eating through her shampoo about 100 times faster than I was.)
Do any of you guys do this?
Anyway, here’s the point: Pantene (or some shampoo company) should do something unique and remarkable, and drop a new advertising campaign as “The shampoo product your hip sister uses.” Here’s what follows:
- Girls want the shampoo because the ads subtly/overtly convey that the female users are “hip”
- Guys want the shampoo because it’s what the hip girls are into, and because they see it’s okay for guys to be doing it
- It’s a unique brand position, and there’s no confusing “premium but value” logic required
Granted, there are a lot of other things to consider. I’m not terribly positive that Pantene’s current target demographic would adhere well to the new campaign. It’s a big risk to take. But then again, maybe it’s time for them to jump ship anyway.