Herbal Essences Calls on Women to 'Flaunt the Hair Mama Nature Gave Them'

London-based independent creative agency Mr. President is bringing a fresh approach to the iconic haircare brand Herbal Essences. To celebrate the launch of the Herbal Essences bio-renew new partnership with Kew, Mr. President has brought back the iconic in-shower moment with a vengeance, but this time updated for today’s natural-conscious consumer. 

The ad sets out to re-introduce Herbal Essence's original natural roots in a cut-through way - without losing the brand’s iconic sense of sass and fun. The agency describes the transition from the old ads of the '90s and '00s as the brand ‘growing up’ from being notoriously cheeky, to a sassy, empowering and naturally conscious haircare brand. 

The ad centres around the proven power of badass botanicals to transform your hair and your attitude - set to an uplifting botanically based music video. In it our heroine lets loose in a moment of Herbal Essences botanical bliss, in the middle of the Palm House at Kew Gardens, and it leaves her feeling completely revived. This fierce attitude is carried through to the print and social assets, with the fully integrated campaign due to go live this summer across the UK and Europe. 

Jon Gledstone, executive creative director and partner at Mr. President said: “Herbal Essences has long been known for its unforgettable advertising, so Mr. President is thrilled to have the opportunity to evolve the iconic brand for today’s consumer. With the help of Kew, we’ve unleashed nature in all its vibrant glory and the result is a sassy, uplifting and joyful campaign that celebrates natural beauty and moves you to flaunt the hair mama nature gave ya.”

Celine Hernandez, brand leader at Herbal Essences UK/Ireland, said.“Herbal Essences was born into nature with a free spirit and a joyful heart. Our bohemian roots still have the power to inspire young women today with products that merge the best of nature with science. We are very excited to launch this new campaign with sassy botanical power, unleashing Mama Natures Secrets for hair you want to flaunt” 

The campaign launches in the UK with TV at the beginning of June and will then TV will roll out in Germany and other European markets over the summer. It’s the biggest UK-led campaign created for over five years, and covers TV, OOH, experiential, digital and social assets. The ad was created by Mr President, directed by Melody Maker out of Mill+, with post-production from The Mill. The experiential pop-up product launch is expected to appear in a London location later in the Summer.

Melody said: “The fun filled herbal essences campaigns that so many know and love, have left a nostalgic touch on many generations. After receiving such a bold script from the creatives Jon Geldstone and Gnome Taylor at Mr President, I knew this was a campaign I had to be a part of.

"Celebrating the collaboration between Herbal Essences and Kew Gardens I wanted to visualise the elegance and energy of mother nature. By working with the talented CG Artists at The Mill, we designed an optical orchestra of dancing plants and wildlife. I wanted to showcase that, with the herbal hair care product, we can all be as vibrant as the rainforest.”