How Emotive and Unilever Provided Ovolo Hotels with a Luxurious Hair Experience
Staying in a hotel is always an exciting experience where luxury is at your fingertips – room service, gourmet mini bars, even pillow menus. But when it comes to haircare, it’s a one generic product-fits-all situation.
TRESemmé and Ovolo Hotels have teamed up to solve this with the Hair Service Menu, allowing guests to order complimentary products tailored to suit their hair care needs, directly to their room.
LBB’s Casey Martin spoke to Pia McMorran, business director at Emotive on this collaboration with Kate Westgate, marketing manager from TRESemmé, and Stephen Howard, group director of marketing, Ovolo Hotels.
LBB> Why was this particular project important to you?
Kate> For TRESemmé, we hadn't taken any bold steps in our communication for a few years, so it was time to create something distinctly unique to set our brand apart from competitors in the hair care category. We recognised that Emotive was the ideal creative agency to develop a standout, attention-grabbing concept that would reignite consumer interest and elevate the TRESemmé brand.
Pia> The brief came into the agency looking for something that would get people talking about TRESemmé and drive brand fame. This was an exciting challenge and we knew it was the right approach. In a cluttered hair care market, TRESemmé needed to elevate themselves out of the functional and reinforce their connection to the world of luxury and style in a way that was worthy of being talked about.
Stephen> We recognised an opportunity to enhance our guests' experience by offering them a selection of amenities in a unique and enjoyable manner through a Hair Service Menu. Interestingly, during our project discussions, the editor of Gourmet Traveller coincidentally posted a story on her Instagram questioning why hotels still opt for basic soap rather than professional haircare products which confirmed to us we were on the right track with this idea.
LBB> What were the challenges and what did you learn from them?
Pia> Brand partnerships are an area of marketing that is becoming more highly considered. Whilst that may be true, not many people can do them well or find a way to deliver equal value for both partners. We had a clear criteria for the hotel we wanted to partner with and Ovolo not only ticked those boxes, they absolutely loved the idea and brought a lot of value to the table to make it a great partnership.
Once we had them signed off, the biggest tension was in co-branding. Finding a way to bring both brands together in a cohesive way was challenging, and I think because TRESemmé are our client, we had a tendency to favour their opinions. If we had our time over, we would have spent more time understanding Ovolo’s brand and needs. We got there in the end, but not without a few bumps along the way.
Kate> Timing was a significant challenge for the team because we wanted to launch the activation as soon as possible. I agree with Pia that finding the right hotel partner was difficult due to our strict brand criteria. We were thrilled to have found Ovolo Hotels as a partner.
Stephen> Both Emotive and Unilever proved to be exceptional partners to work with. There were some challenges with co-branding and ensuring both Ovolo and TRESemmé brands were represented correctly, but their consistent communication fostered a robust relationship and ensured these concerns were swiftly addressed. The integration into the hotels was relatively smooth as the teams really liked the idea and were on board.
LBB> How do you see this campaign changing the way you approach campaigns in the future?
Kate> The success of the campaign has led me to rethink our approach for future TRESemmé campaigns, focusing on reaching our consumers in more innovative and diverse ways. This means addressing real consumer problems through simple, effective insights and developing ideas that are fame worthy, by that I mean good enough to talk about.
Pia> Increasingly we’re seeing problems that need this kind of approach. At Emotive, we’re all about creating ideas that change the way people feel. We know that we live in a world where most people treat ads with indifference or seek to actively block them, so instead of seeing that as a hurdle, we see it as a provocation. How do we make something that cuts through the clutter and is something people want to engage with? In this instance – it’s a Hair Service Menu.
Stephen> When looking at potential campaigns we look for ones that are creatively unconventional while offering our guests something unique and innovative.
LBB> How does this campaign change the way you engage with social media as a tool for advertising?
Kate> Social media is a crucial advertising tool, especially in the beauty industry where product recommendations are key. This campaign has reinforced the importance of including social media in our media mix, as we utilized it in various ways to generate buzz about the partnership.
Pia> Social media can be an incredibly powerful tool, when used well. We’ve learned that in most cases real life experiences are amplified through social outperform ads, so it was important to integrate our creators into the bigger idea. This meant staying at Ovolo to experience the Hair Service Menu for themselves and finding a way to authentically tell the story to their audience. For our key social creator Indy Clinton, this meant a TikTok video which started with her talking about her toddler having spewed in her hair that morning.
Stephen> For this specific campaign, we collaborated with numerous influencers within the beauty industry. They not only experienced the offerings at our hotel but also attended our launch event. Each post generated significant follower growth for both accounts and drove notable traffic to our website.
LBB> How have you used creativity to solve a problem?
Kate> The creativity stemmed from a simple insight, while hotels offer personalised services like room service, gourmet mini-bars, and even pillow menus, haircare remains a one-size-fits-all situation. For those with specific hair needs, such as curly hair or brassy blondes, the idea of using a generic shampoo and conditioner is far from appealing.
Pia> This campaign was all about elevating TRESemmé out of the functional to behave more like a trendy beauty brand. For us, it wasn't enough for TRESemmé to collaborate with a cool brand. For the partnership to really ignite we had to find a genuine problem for TRESemmé to solve. The conversation about hotel hair care lacking options for people whose hair needs special treatment – curls, purple toning, colour protection – is real. And the proof is in the pudding – we’re already seeing hotels order more stock because the demand is there.
LBB> What is something from this campaign that you will take with you into future projects?
Kate> I believe the most significant learning is the importance of collaboration: partnering with the right brands, engaging with the right influencers, and working closely with agency partners.
Pia> The biggest learning is that we’re all still learning! I’ve spent close to 20 years working in advertising and marketing roles and thought I had (mostly) seen it all, but this project offered up new challenges, a ton of moving parts and a different way of working. Until you’ve lived through a project like this, you don’t really know what you don’t know.
Stephen> The attention to detail and alignment among all involved parties made the project a delight to work on, culminating in a highly successful campaign. These fundamental elements are crucial in guaranteeing that future projects maintain the same level of achievement.
LBB> Why was it important to extend and amplify the Unilever brands?
Kate> It was important to extend beyond traditional media and amplify TRESemmé into cultural conversation as it allows the brand to stand out from the category clutter, reinforcing saliency, and subsequently increasing brand loyalty and trust among consumers.
Pia> You only need to walk down the hair care aisle at Woolies to see just how much of a shake up the industry has had over the past few years. Whilst traditional media plays a foundational role for driving awareness for TRESemmé, this needs to be supported by activity that keeps them relevant and part of the cultural conversation.
LBB> Do you believe that sometimes the best advertising doesn’t look like advertising at all?
Kate> Yes, absolutely. Sometimes, the most effective advertising doesn't resemble traditional advertisements at all. It can take the form of engaging content, authentic storytelling, or experiences that seamlessly integrate with people's lives. When advertising doesn't feel like advertising, it's often more memorable, relatable, and impactful, as it resonates with audiences on a deeper level.
Pia> The best advertising is something that adds value to our experience of the world, not interruption. I love a well-crafted 30-second TVC or piece of outdoor as much as a clever brand collaboration. I believe that the best competitive advantage in business is creativity, we are just finding new ways to bring that to the world in a very different media landscape to where we were five years ago.
Stephen> Absolutely, at Ovolo, we continuously seek out distinctive and unconventional opportunities and partnerships that resonate with our core pillars of fashion, art, music, and entrepreneurship. We thrive on breaking away from the ordinary, finding that such endeavours often garner favourable earned media coverage and positive feedback from our guests.
