SheaMoisture Embraces the 'New General Market'

Amityville, N.Y. — Sundial Brands began reaching what it calls the “New General Market” in 2013, increasing distribution of its SheaMoisture natural baby-care products beyond Target and Walgreens to other major retailers including CVS/pharmacy and Kroger.The term “reflects the new market wave, an intersection of multicultural, green and Millennial shoppers for whom natural and sustainable living and ingredients are important,” says Sundial director of communications Melissa Miller.As of July 2013, Sundial now sells its SheaMoisture baby-care collection through 5,000 CVS, 1,500 Kroger and 700 Ahold USA (Stop & Shop/Giant) locations.The company began priming its base for the expansion with emphasis on social media and educational videos featuring brand ambassador and celebrity stylist Diane Bailey, who hosts how-to sessions about children’s and multiculturals’ hair care. Miller says Bailey’s tips are important for a consumer niche that includes adoptive parents of multiracial children whose hair requires special attention with which the parents may not be familiar.Sundial supported the expansion with print ads in magazines targeting the parents of newborns and pregnant women using the tagline, “No! Sometimes it’s a good thing.” The slogan, which also appeared on in-store displays, refers to the absence of man-made chemicals in its lotions, ointments, shampoos and soaps.SheaMoisture is proud of its ethical and organic sourcing ethos and is leveraging it to the fullest. Miller says Latino shoppers will pay a premium for products with natural ingredients, and Sundial’s products are helping retailers reach these consumers. “Multicultural shoppers are seeing their needs represented,” she says, “as are green shoppers who don’t want to make a separate trip to Whole Foods to get what they want. We appreciate that these retailers get that. They need to offer products that speak to a wide range of people, a wide range of cultural cues and also the green consciousness.”Miller says that there has been no overemphasis on the needs of any one group. “You do need to speak to people culturally, but we’re firmly a solutions-based company,” she says. “Eczema, diaper rash and psoriasis are across all ethnicities. We believe whereas people may take different cues, we’re seeing retailers abolishing separate ethnic sets and making them more integrated, which we applaud. It’s great to be meaningful to these groups. At the end of the day, everyone needs the same sort of solutions to various things.”The growth beyond Target and Walgreens has been consumer-driven, she says, so the brand wanted to keep that consumer intimacy with activity on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube. All of its videos are produced in-house, Miller says, and an in-house team of four manages all the digital tactics – content creation and production, and consumer interaction. She says every Facebook post and query is addressed.“We want to keep it in-house because we want it to be genuine and authentic and have it be something we can control in a way that’s thoughtful and helpful,” Miller explains. “It’s a brand very much built by our customers, and we want to keep that direct contact. We want to keep it that way no matter how big the company gets.”