Facing a 40bps market share decline in 2022, Sunsilk faced the imperative of maintaining market leadership, particularly among Gen Z and Malay consumers, amidst the rise of Korean brands. Identifying an unexplored niche, Sunsilk introduced its latest innovation, Sunsilk Strong & Long, uniquely addressing the desire for healthy, lengthy hair that competitors had overlooked. Women often face a dilemma, contemplating whether or not to cut their long hair short to keep it healthy. This innovation celebrates long hair growth, so you can grow your hair long, while growing your confidence strong!

The objective: Harness the power of music to convey with Sunsilk Strong and Long, let your hair grow, as damaged long hair doesn't stand in your way anymore! While creating excitement and establishing a lasting connection with the Gen Z and Malay audiences, ultimately regaining market penetration in these target segments.

“STOP, KEEP, GROW” - single minded message inspiring Gen Z to STOP cutting her hair, KEEP her hair long and GROW her hair and confidence to its fullest!

Focused on intercepting moments of contemplation as she cuts her hair, Sunsilk Strong & Long gives hair another “life” with the power of music, a passion point for 73% of Gen Z (Global Web Index).

Using K-pop elements to resonate with the Target’s culture, Sunsilk’s authentic MV aims to breakthrough with:

Memorable & repetitive tunes like “Slay” “Don’t Cut, Don’t Cut”

Vibrant audio-visual experience using measuring tape, symbolising the beauty of having long hair as a memorable visual cue.

Building a fandom with rising influencer - Athalia, whose 60% of fanbase are Malay Gen Z Females

The lyrics, music and film unite hair and culture, connecting a new generation of fans by inspiring them to grow their hair long, and confidence strong!

To cut through advertising clutter, we strategically leveraged top Malaysian TV platform Astro and YouTube channels, capturing 88% of Gen Z Malay audiences.

Our music video received prime exposure on Astro's major channels, spanning TV, radio, and social media, fostering strong ad recall. We initiated a special TikTok Music Dance Challenge, integrating an Augmented Reality (AR) TikTok Filter for an engaging campaign with lively dance moves.

For a significant launch in the K-pop genre featuring BTS, Sunsilk achieved exclusivity on the BTS Official Channel and related launch content, securing 100% Share of Voice. Beyond the media, our campaign was powered by music culture, strategically reaching Malaysians through relevant touchpoints, fostering a sense of fandom, and breathing "life" into Gen Z's hair aspirations.

Executing the "Strong & Long" concept, our impactful strategy involved creating the longest hair in Malaysia through dynamic DOOH installations and wrapping a train with the same theme.

The STOP, KEEP, GROW music video launched on prime TV, radio, and digital platforms, including Astro's social media and BTS YouTube channels. The creation of the Longest Hair outdoor garnered attention through top Malaysian news and lifestyle publishers.

The music video received widespread exposure on key channels such as Astro Ria, TikTok, and YouTube, achieving a 51% reach on TV. The full-length video reached 3.13M Gen-Z audiences through prominent Malay digital publishers Gempak, Media Hiburan & Remaja.

For strong brand recall, a 15-second song clip aired on the leading Malay radio station, ERA. Sunsilk AR filters on TikTok & Instagram, along with a social dance challenge contest, amplified on social media.

A 4-week ground activation campaign at major universities with ERA radio cruisers, included product sampling, giveaways, and dance challenges, effectively promoting the new variant and engaging a substantial youth audience.

Our campaign succeeded in halting haircuts, preserving length, and fostering confidence among Gen-Zs. Within the launch month, Sunsilk's market share surged +18.9%, the highest in two years led by Strong and Long variant.

Throughout 2023, Sunsilk achieved 14% value growth, twice the category average, due to an expanded buyer base and increased frequency. Sunsilk regained significant penetration among Malay Gen-Zs with 12% volume growth, solidifying its market leader status.

The music video garnered 11.4 million views, 95.14 million impressions on Facebook and Instagram, plus 2.75 million YouTube views. The TikTok dance challenge ranked in the top 5%, with 1.4 million impressions, 9.9K filter captures, 57.5K filter opens, 112 public entries, and 1,086,887 engagement across social media.

YouTube's targeted approach reached 50% of females aged 18-34, with a 2.7% brand recall increase, and publishers contributed 1.2 million additional impressions.