The Naturale Market, a niche player in the craft shampoo market, needed to distinguish itself from hundreds of other small-scale makers of shampoo products in a sea of multi-billion hair care market industry. We came up with an original creative idea of redesigning their shampoo bars into a new form factor: a bottle and change the narrative around the brand. It won’t be competing on price, efficacy or fragrance and instead take aim at the larger generic category the brand opposed - shampoo in plastic bottles.

We needed to drive attention for the idea and traffic to website and Instagram page so that we could establish the idea in the design industry even if we couldn’t patent or copyright the design. The larger objective is to advocate for a reduction in plastic waste in shampoos - and we were happy to share a template for the design with approved partners.

The name for the product - the dissolving bottle - was designed to intrigue people. The mechanism is simple: the bottle was made of solid shampoo so it would naturally disappear. Given that the claim was true, we were acknowledged as having done something fresh rather than misleading. To emphasize that the shampoo bar would function as designed to do, we worked natural ingredients and colors for the products that would convey a modern appealing look. For example: Lavender, Peppermint and Tea Tree were all selected for their suitability for various hair types and were appropriately color-coded. Creating a launch video, brand assets and gifs were part of the strategy to launch ‘big’ in terms of branded image but ended up taking most of the budget. Thus, we depended mostly on word of mouth, and organic reach so that manufacturing and distribution could catch up with the demand.

People are aware of plastic pollution - but tend to overlook the sources of it close to home like shampoo bottles. The pandemic had also pushed plastic pollution lower down in our concerns due to overriding health concerns.

This campaign was launched at the height of the pandemic when the media paid attention to the problem of plastic waste from facemasks, test kits etc. A piece by the BBC correspondent in the Philippines caught the attention of the public and manufacturers alike. And in a follow-up twitter thread we were able to seed the news of the shampoo innovation. Following that, we saw an immediate take up of interest from local media, from individual consumers and from distributors. The dissolving bottle is a way to cut plastic waste from shampoo.

Given our modest budget, we identified the most relevant audience for the client: a producer and retailer of craft soaps and shampoos. We then developed a new product format, named it, and developed a launch video and other brand assets. Using our relationships with key media and journalists we identified the moment in which we could introduce the product – as an ally in the fight against plastic pollution. The launch was on twitter, which followed a high-rated global news report on the BBC and was retweeted by the journalist concerned. We followed this up with product samples to hard-to-convince resort owners in the country’s leading tourist destinations. After this we launched our website and promoted via a press release to the industry publications around the globe. Apart from the local media in the Philippines, coverage pick-ups ranged as far as Singapore, Ukraine, Brazil, and India.

Hotel resort owners enthusiastically adopted the product, with the video and other assets being cited as crucial in driving acceptance with their guests. As a result of feedback and consultation a new product was developed - the mini bottle - as the original size was too long-lasting for the average stay. The Dissolving Bottle also piqued the interest of consumers and entrepreneurs alike around the world through our coverage in business and trade media. Inquiries from the website regarding re-selling, reproduction and patent licensing were received from different countries including Vietnam, the Middle East, United States, and the United Kingdom. Distribution via hotels is providing the base for production for consumers while overseas distribution is being achieved for the very first time.

The product has been enthusiastically adopted by environmental groups such as WWF, the anti-plastic alliance, as well as the design community – with recognition from AdStars, D&AD, Cresta, Kinsale, Design Week and others. This recognition has been crucial in convincing high-end resorts and hotels to stock the product as being in keeping with the quality of the experience their guests have come to expect. The client has also been able to gain international acceptance through this recognition in markets far beyond their home territory.