Starde Print Ad

This new and vibrant brand was challenged to gain penetration in a cosmetic market that was already fierce with competition. Big brands already had their ranges on supermarket shelves nationwide, which also made competing products more accessible than Starde. A distribution strategy was already aimed at taking care of that problem, and what the MD and I decided to do on this ad was to create demand to meet the distribution. In that way, we could encourage engagement with the product and create penetration.

Starde’s calling card was a spray technology that allowed you to colour your dreadlocks in record time. It was a convincing USP (Unique Selling Proposition) because it targeted the cumbersome process of colouring dreadlocks, which didn’t always yield the desired results. So many people end up at a salon to have it done for them, which of course costs more money than Starde.

Creatively then I had the details of this ad, but what was missing was projecting an experience of the product to intrigue people with. While people do buy emotionally, the creative concept also needs to build an experience of what they’ll feel when they use the product. Obviously they would feel brand new with a new hair colour, but I think that people are much more attracted to control they can have over how they want to look.

That’s what tabloids do. By showing celebrities and their lives, they’re giving you ideas about what you can do with your own life. The copy in this ad then positions Starde as a transformation tool for a new life, which I think is why people colour their hair. They’re seeking some change in their lives through it, and that you could achieve it quickly is a cherry on the top.

Round that up with purples that create a sense of mystery as to who you may become, and I think this is an attractive ad that’s look and feels like much bigger brands. It’s specifically patterned that way so you get the impression that Starde no new-comer.

It’s something you’ve been missing out on your whole life!
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