The first time i got introduced to Pantene was in the mid nineties while living in London. Barely reached two digits in age, i remember being fascinated by the Pantene shampoo advertisements on TV, wishing i too could have shiny long hair (every black girl's dream at some point or another). Fast forward 10+ years and other cool beauty product campaigns later like Dove's Real Beauty campaign (which my then seemingly awkward & VERY chubby body could so identify with) and of course the catch phrase most us have to come know so well, L'oreal's ' Because i'm worth it'.....i have now stumbled across 2013's brilliant brand advert by Pantene Phillipines, themed WHIP IT. It is sassy, it is hip, it is so fitting and applicable and better yet it successfully connects to the source of confidence for many women - HAIR. WHIP IT also re-conceptualizes how WHIPPING of the hair can be seeing as POWERFUL, FEMININE, STRONG, BOLD, so very 21ST century. To me WHIP IT is asking women to OWN IT.
I also commend them for including Filipino women of varying religious backgrounds, age and physical features. In short, this campaign is dope! I'd love to see a similar effective brand campaign for women done somewhere on the continent for the 21st century African woman in whatever the context may be.
Please Note: i completely understand the power behind effective packaging/marketing/consumerism attached to such adverts and i am a fan of them. Yes, a fan. We are bombard every day with millions of images, words, marketing ploys & messages that simple gestate clutter.....and i am a sucker for the good ones that 'get me' so when beauty campaigns get it RIGHT especially to their female customers it is quite A-OK that their return on investment is HIGH.
I'm all about commemorating 16 Day of Activism Against Gender Based Violence and so in the spirit of ACTING & celebrating woman - women + the girls girls girls....WHIP IT....please do. Always.
fambul dem, this is how we do....
