Herbal Essences
Student Project - Brand Repositioning
Brand StrategyThe Brief: Take an already existing brand and reposition it in the marketplace in order to boost its presence and increase its marketability to the target audience.
The Design: The repositioning of this brand is a combination of graphic design work and strategic thinking. It is the overall strategy of bringing a brand back to life with both visual and verbal languages. Using research and strategic methodology, a new version of the Herbal Essences brand was created.
The Deliverables: Strategic plan for brand repositioning
We think we are nurturing our garden, but of course it's our garden that is nurturing us.
- Jenny Uglow
When looking at how to best reposition the Herbal Essences brand it was necessary to look at the past and understand the present. Identifying where there has been issues with the brand’s representation, what they have been doing to change perception and what can continue to be done. Auditing the brands visual and verbal languages helped to identify areas of need.
Insights
Insights
Targeting the Wrong Market
Sending the Herbal Essence's image back to the late 90's, early 2000s is an attempt to rebuild/strengthen a relationship with the millennial demographic. Specifically women. The re-enforcement of a new and complete mindset that Herbal Essences has built deserves a refreshing new look to go with it.
New Voice Going Unnoticed
Herbal Essences has made efforts to change perception and modify the brand’s values over the years. The unfortunate truth though, is that people haven’t noticed. There has not been effective communication to their audience, so many people are left unaware. Despite having a new lease on life the new branding/advertising has not differentiated itself enough from the old methods. It is hard to understand what has changed and why.
In 2022, 81% of hair care users were aware of the Herbal Essences brand. Only 30% of people asked said they liked the brand and only 16% of people surveyed have a loyalty to the brand.
Discovering this information made it abundantly clear that there is a need to pivot brand perception. The solution was to develop a full refresh of the brand, with a new image and a marketing campaign to reintroduce the brand to the world.
Solution
Solution
Brand Promise
Herbal Essences is a brand that takes it's direction from nature and what it has to offer. With a focus on creating products that are well rounded and rooted in the science of what's good for us and good for nature.
Herbal Essences is making a commitment to continuously learn more and do more.
Brand Image
Changing the visual language of the brand is important for developing a new understanding of what the brand is offering. A simple and clean layout with a clear statement about the brand’s pivot points help grab the consumer’s eye and give them an understanding of the new brand direction quickly.
Social Media
A comprehensive social media strategy must be developed in order to attract a new demographic while ensure that the current demographic doesn’t feel alienated. Developing a cohesive campaign that can run across multiple platforms would reach all target audiences, old and new.
Send It Back Campaign
The send it back portion of the campaign focuses on the sustainability of the brand. Customers will be encouraged to send their hair care packaging back to the company in order to reduce plastic waste. For every ten packages returned the customer will receive a $10 Herbal Essences gift card. Postage will be cover via a shipping label offered on the website and if customers create an account they are able to track how many returns they have until receiving a gift card.
Ask Anything Campaign
Bringing the science of Herbal Essences' new products to the street for people to touch, feel and learn more about is step three of the integrated campaign. Letting people get to know the brand from people who have knowledge and understanding of the ingredients and their importance to hair care. Building knowledge and in turn building community.