When the creative team at Warschawski, a Baltimore-based marketing communications firm, was charged with introducing a sub-line of nine new salon products for its client KMS California, the team didn?t want to do “just another product launch.”
Instead, the agency opted to create a new “face” for the KMS California line by selecting six individuals from across the country to represent the new products and their attributes.
“We wanted to build it into a brand, and the way you do that is to create an emotional connection with people about what it is that you?re offering to them,” said Amy Christopher, a Warschawski senior vice president. “So we created a North American casting call where we asked people to tell us why they are KMS California and why they should be the new brand representatives for KMS California.”
The new line of hair-care products offers what the company calls an “individually expressive approach to hair care” that takes into consideration the needs of all ethnicities and provides consumers and stylists with the tools to create any look for any hair type.
“Basically, you can describe the brand in a couple of words ? individuality and fusion,” said Andy Biazis, president and chief executive officer of KPSS Inc. North America, which, in addition to the KMS California line, also manufactures Goldwell hair-care products. “I think a lot of consumers will identify with some of the people who were picked as winners.”
Warschawski?s Christopher added that to select the new faces for the brand, the agency led a casting call in January and February before sending the submissions to KMS representatives who acted as regional judges and narrowed the list down to 18 finalists.
The final casting call was held in New York and six brand representatives were chosen. Warschawski is fleshing out the details of how exactly the brand representatives will be used.
The six individuals who were chosen represent “an amazing cross-section of lifestyles and ethnicities,” said Christopher. “They?re really the essence of the brand ? and represent the changing face of North America, which is diversity.”
