Olaplex is setting the record straight with its latest campaign.
The campaign, which kicked off this week with the coordinated unboxing of its No. 3 bond-building treatment rebranded as “Oladupé,” means to catch the eyes of TikTok viewers. The point is that given Olaplex‘s myriad patents — north of 150 — the only brand that can effectively dupe Olaplex’s technology, is Olaplex. That point is made when the faux labels on Oladupé products are peeled off to reveal legitimate product.
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Consumers haven’t yet caught on. The TikTok hashtag #olaplexdupe has more than 30 million views on the platform, for example.
“We are among the most duped hair care brands,” said Olaplex chief executive officer JuE Wong. “We felt this was an opportune time to raise relevance, and it’s an opportunity for us to educate with a little bit of fun.”
Wong had told WWD previously that the company’s top and bottom lines were affected by increased market competition, as well as misinformation about the brand. Now, the company is taking back the reins. “We have 160-plus patents, it is very difficult for anyone to dupe us,” Wong said. “The technology is proven, it’s patented, it’s trusted by stylists. We have to communicate, but by not taking ourselves too seriously.”
Olaplex worked with Movers + Shakers, the agency behind many a viral TikTok campaign, for the effort.
“When you think about Olaplex’s presence it’s good to look at the messages that are coming from Olaplex and also the community. That’s what creates a lot of the presence around Olaplex. It is one of the most talked-about hair care brands, especially on TikTok,” said Geoffrey Goldberg, chief creative officer and cofounder of Movers + Shakers.
“A big part of this campaign is thinking about how we can be a part of the conversation, and also lead it. We knew there was a huge conversation happening around dupes, which has just gained a ton of momentum in the last year,” Goldberg continued.
The goal is to solidify Olaplex’s standing as the original in bond-building technology. “We had to make sure we were educating people and that’s a fun way to tackle it: it’s head-turning and unexpected, but we’re also educating people about the product and the technology at the same time,” Goldberg said.
Wong said the campaign marks a pivot in the brand’s overall marketing strategy. “We have always been focused on lower-funnel marketing — making sure we’re sampling and people are converting,” she said. “We now want a fully integrated, full-funnel marketing approach. People need to see us in awareness settings, and when they come into a physical location, they need to be educated. We want to make sure in our sales and marketing that we not only build awareness, we educate and then we convert.”
Goldberg added that across the brand landscape, the most successful campaigns are those that capitalize on existing conversations. “We want a campaign that doesn’t exist in a vacuum, we want one that exists in culture,” he said. “It’s really successful when it taps into a creative idea that is important or emotional for people. Finding a hack or savings is a very emotional thing, and it’s something people want to create content around.”