Global Hair Care and Skin Care Company: Health & Wellness Personal Care Redevelopment - Japan

Company Need:We Do Wellness were asked to help take a brand of hair care products global while maintaining the integrity of the key brand name, formulation, pricing and identity components.

Approach: We worked with a Japanese marketing research firm and the parent company’s subsidiary in Japan to validate the traction of the concept, formulation and fragrance level.

Results:Research revealed that the “squeaky clean” hair desirable in Western markets was neither relevant nor desirable in Japan where a “sara sara” (smooth and naturally flowing and naturally fragrant hair) was associated with wellness. Working with R&D teams, we reduced the surfactant (cleansing agent) level, rebalanced the fragrance level and improved the brand’s shelf presence. The brand was re-launched and generated an additional $6 million in sales in its first year.