Sunsilk
Sunsilk is the name of a brand of hair care products for women produced by the Unilever group.
1954 Launched in the United Kingdom.
1959 Available in eighteen different countries worldwide.
In the early years, Sunsilk focused much of its marketing attention on gaining international presence. To do this, they targeted different market segments or countries with specialized products designed to address hair "issues" of each culture. For example in the UK, the core benefit in the 1960s was shiny hair.
High interest internationally led to a dramatic decline in support in the United States and UK. Because of this, many years went by with little or no advertising which caused the brand to be viewed as targeted at older women. Although this was not Sunsilk's intention the outcome was inevitable.
During the 1980s a push viewed by many Unilever insiders as "last-ditch" was made to revitalize the brand in Australia followed by other countries. The advertising featured Beverly Hills stylist Dusty Fleming and although this was successful in Australia the impact on the brand in the UK was catastrophic.
1991 The former No 1 shampoo product was delisted in the UK.
Because of the brand loyalty among older users, combined with almost a generation of non-use, Sunsilk found it very difficult to gain market share and attract a younger audience.
A new campaign was launched to recruit younger users. To do this, products also needed rejuvenating. Sunsilk decided that in addition to segmenting markets country by country, they should also segment by hair type within each market. The new products focused on hair colour, texture, feeling, dryness, etc. The updated Sunsilk campaign, "Get Hairapy", followed the same strategy, marking a bold move towards users in their 20s and upwards said to be in their "quarter-life crisis". The target audience was also defined as single, fashion-conscious, working women who economized when looking good: women "on-the-go".
The new product lines, which feature product threesomes include: Anti-Flat, Anti-Poof, Hydra TLC, Straighten-Up, De-Frizz, No Major Issues, ThermaShine, Beyond Brunette Color Boost (Auburn tones and non-highlighted brunette colorers) and Blonde Bombshell (all over blondes and highlighters).
Currently, Sunsilk products are available in over 50 countries throughout Asia, The Middle East, North Africa and Latin America, where is known as Sedal. In Brazil, this brand is known as Seda.
Sources of Information
- [1] Wikipedia