by Atmosphere Communications

Aim:

Iconic hair care brand, ghd, launched in South Africa five years ago and has rapidly achieved cult status among a growing group of consumer evangelists. Atmosphere was tasked to find an innovative campaign to entrench ghd’s style-leader status; educate consumers on its wider range of hair styling products; and build a consumer database for future activity.

A creative concept was developed by Atmosphere, featuring secret hair salons in three cities – each held for one day only. Information on these pop-up hair salons was driven mainly through online social media tools, and created a feverish demand for invitations to the ghd style lounge. The concept salon was a first for ghd, both in South Africa and internationally.

Actions:

Microsite:

A blog-format microsite was developed to provide a sign-up mechanism for the events and to communicate key messages via regular posts. The site included the following content:

*Three-part video blog, featuring styling tips from key stylists and information on the event;
*Photographs from the event (all consumers were photographed and could email their pictures to friends);
*Video from the Cape Town event;
*Styling tips and trends; and
*Information on new products released over the two-month campaign period.

Facebook group:

An official ghd South Africa group was created on Facebook. Materials produced for the blog were re-purposed for the Facebook group, and members were encouraged to register on the microsite.

A media relations campaign was initiated to drive visits to the microsite, and use the first-of-its-kind event as a hook to achieve brand-building coverage. The campaign included the following activity:

*Long-lead announcement release targeting fashion, what’s on, and events pages;
*Short-lead media relations to profile the event in local media, as well as trend pieces on the pop-up phenomenon;
*Radio interviews to discuss the concept and summer styling trends with ghd stylists involved;
*Invitation to attend the events for popular style bloggers resulting in previews and reviews;
*Invitation to key beauty contacts, to receive an "education and update" session at the events;
*Invitation to broadcast media, to profile the event as the first pop-up hair salon in South Africa; and
*Post-event photographs pitched to lifestyle media.

Events:

The events were held in studio/gallery spaces in the three target cities in November and December 2008. Each one-day event was designed to provide an intimate styling experience, for groups of ten people at a time (80 maximum). During the mid-late afternoon, media and celebrities attended, and in the evening, groups of consumers attended. Attendance was secured via an online competition on the campaign microsite, to which all media coverage and communications pointed.

The event, also conceptualised by Atmosphere, contained the following elements:
*Welcome champagne and canapés;
*Hair styling and one-on-one education session from ghd salon experts;
*Make-up artists creating a complimentary look to match the hair style;
*Self-portrait photo booth (professional quality photographs taken looking into a giant mirror triggered by a remote control); and
*props wall (umbrellas, feather boas, etc) from which to complete looks for the photographs.

Following the event, photos from the photo booth were made available online and those that had attended were emailed to encourage them to view them and email them on to their peers.

Results:

The use of online and digital media was the driving force behind the success of this campaign, which achieved immediate and long-term business results for the brand. Instead of viewing online media as a separate channel, it was seamlessly integrated with other communication activities. The result was multiple touch points with key consumers, allowing for a deep-level engagement and education over the course of the campaign.

The microsite achieved over 10 000 visits in the two months, and 4 000 applications to attend the event. The number of event applications was almost double that expected. The enthusiasm sparked by the campaign is most visible in the amount of overwhelmingly positive comments - as well as questions - posted on the site. Supporting press coverage has been valued at R450 000 to date, with further long-lead coverage expected in 2009.

The event also built relationships with media; style leaders, such as celebrities and key bloggers;and the salon stylists that took part in the activity.

The campaign concept has been praised by ghd international, which has plans to replicate the activity in the US and Italy in 2009.