Henkel Takes 'Color on Tour' Nationwide
A salon on wheels was the centerpiece of a successful campaign for Henkel's Schwarzkopf brand.
The effort, named "Color on Tour," set out to increase brand awareness while reversing the negative perception of using at-home box hair color through a one-of-a-kind experience reaching U.S. consumers nationwide. The campaign brought a "Hairstream" mobile salon (refurbished Airstream RV) to 18 stops over a 9-month period in 2024.
The brand's main target market is women 35 to 54 who currently color their hair. The nuance of this particular market is that there are two audiences within it, says Nancy Lu, senior brand manager, Schwarzkopf Keratin Color.
The first audience is women who use box color but stick to what they know, continuously purchasing the same brand. The second audience affords the luxury of going to the salon because they don’t trust at-home color nor know how to apply it themselves, Lu says.
"We identified a lack of tools and education as a key barrier, as well as overall awareness of the brand’s prestige among haircare professionals," she says. "So we prioritized education and engagement as key focuses of the idea. Our central insight: While at-home hair color may feel risky, with the right tools and tutorial, it can become confidence in a box."
The campaign launched on March 26 (known as "National Good Hair Day") in 2024 right outside a Walmart store in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The debut was in conjunction with an in-store salon takeover at the site to highlight the launch of Schwarkopf Keratin Blonde SKUs at Walmart.
Retailer, brand-owned and paid social activation touted the campaign stops. The messaging invited local residents to attend the tour, which were held at retailer parking lots, lifestyle and professional stylist events. The tour headed to key shopping destinations, including those in Dallas and Los Angeles.
The Experience
Visitors could book a series of free salon services ranging from 15-minute stylist consultations to a full color treatment. Participants receiving services at the tour stops left with stylist notes, a cape and styling clips for at-home color application.
The Partners
The Schwarzkopf brand Color on Tour experience was a success due to the partners that worked tirelessly to bring it to life — from render to reality — all in 52 days. Mars United Commerce spearheaded the ideation and the initiative with support from experiential vendor Outerkind.
Gratsy, Blended Strategy Group, and CMM PR crafted the in-store takeover and support plan.
"Stocked with hair inspiration, premium products, functioning sinks and a series of interactive engagement spaces, the event itself was a moving billboard that pulled consumers in and drove them back in-store with personalized recommendations and discounts," Lu says.
The tour’s engagement spaces, which aimed to deepen guest connections with the brand, included a:
• Premium refresh lounge showcasing styling products with time to admire and perfect looks.
• Photo booth to capture finished styles and let them share their hair story on social.
• Custom Magic Mirror to let them explore the brand’s full color portfolio via virtual try-ons.
In October, the tour headed to Walmart Store #100 in Bentonville, Arkansas (the retailer’s home HQ). Actress Sofia Vergara, Schwarzkopf global brand ambassador, unveiled an in-store endcap display for the brand.
Vergara spent the day in front of the display, capturing content to leverage across multiple channels and promote the products to passing shoppers. Those images ultimately resulted in an extension of the campaign and temporary endcap placement, Lu says.
The Results
Despite a declining category (-2.3% in sales and -5.4% in units), Schwarzkopf Keratin Color:
• Increased market share by 0.3 points;
• dollar sales up 7.4%;
• and unit sales up 8.7%.
The brand generated more than 302 million impressions across earned and paid social, PR outreach and the Hairstream event activation, Lu says.
Color on Tour event numbers exceeded expectations across all KPIs for increasing brand awareness, purchase intent and likelihood to recommend, which directly correlates to the positive sentiment and trust that the tour delivered for the product.
Self-reported brand awareness before the event was low, with 61% identifying as vaguely or not familiar, according to event survey data. (This aligns with national aided brand awareness levels of 58% reported elsewhere by Ipsos.) Post-event survey data found 87% with higher familiarity. Purchase intent rose similarly, with "likely to purchase" numbers rising from 63% to 80% pre- and post-event.
Schwarzkopf hit a best-in-class number when 95% of survey respondents said they were "likely to recommend" the product. This far exceeded the brand benchmark of 60% and speaks to the tour's success in improving product perception and building trust, Lu says.
"The program, therefore, delivered on all key metrics, but more importantly helped build consumer confidence in box color, our brand and their ability to create their own hair story," she says.
