Clear: Courage to Challenge - Strategic pivot to take on category convention

Cleef Chong, Jonathan Nienaber

Hair care brand Clear strengthened its meaningfulness among youth in China and positioned itself as an effective anti-dandruff brand, with a strategic pivot that associated Clear with fighting anxiety.

Campaign details

Brand: Clear (shampoo) Brand owner: Unilever Entrant company: MullenLowe SingaporeIdea creation: MullenLowe Singapore Market: Greater China Sector: Hair care Media channels: Online videoBudget: 3 - 5 million

Executive summary

In China, Head & Shoulders established the category convention in dandruff through decades of communicating the ‘it’s not normal to have dandruff; dandruff needs to be treated’ narrative.

When Clear entered China in 2007, it targeted youths through the highly resonant strategic territory of flawless appearance. But recent societal shifts led to...

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