Head & Shoulders

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about a brand of shampoo. For the body parts of the same name, see Head and Shoulder. For other uses, see Head and shoulders.
Head & Shoulders
Head and shoulders.png
Head & Shoulders Shampoo (51013601187).jpg
Product typeAnti-dandruff shampoo
OwnerProcter & Gamble
CountryUnited States
IntroducedNovember 1961; 60 years ago (1961-11)[1]
MarketsWorldwide
Websiteheadandshoulders.com Edit this at Wikidata
The Head & Shoulders sachet in Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines (2017)

Head & Shoulders (H&S) is an American brand of anti-dandruff and non dandruff shampoo produced by parent company Procter & Gamble that was introduced in 1961.[1]

History[]

By 1982, it was the "number one brand" of shampoo, and it was noted that "no one hair care brand gets so many ad dollars as Head & Shoulders, a twenty year old brand, and no other brand matches its sales", despite it being a "medicated" shampoo.[2] The active ingredients are the antifungal agents selenium disulfide and piroctone olamine.[3]

Since the 1980s, the brand has been marketed under the tagline, "You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a First Impression", which has been identified as an example of "anxiety marketing" commonly used by Procter & Gamble to drive sales by inducing fears of social consequences associated with the condition that the product claims to address.[4] In the 2000s, however, sales were reported to have dropped off, blamed on overextension of the brand into too many varieties, with over 30 kinds of Head & Shoulders being sold.[5]

English journalist Claudia Winkleman, a real-life user of the product, has served as UK ambassador since the late 2010s.[6]

In popular culture[]

Head & Shoulders had an important role in the climactic scenes of the film Evolution, where it was used to destroy the aliens after their weakness to selenium was discovered.

References[]

  1. ^ a b Davis, Dyer; et al. (May 1, 2004). Rising Tide: Lessons from 165 Years of Brand Building at Procter and Gamble. Harvard Business Press. p. 423. ISBN 9781591391470. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  2. ^ Marketing & Decisions (1982), Volume 17, Issues 8-13, page 186.
  3. ^ "Our Active Ingredients". Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  4. ^ Thomas O'Guinn, Chris Allen, Richard J. Semenik, Advertising and Integrated Brand Promotion (2014), p. 210: "When Head & Shoulders dandruff shampoo is advertised with the theme "You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a First Impression", the audience realizes that Head & Shoulders could spare them the embarrassment of having dandruff".
  5. ^ Matt Haig, Brand Failures: The Truth about the 100 Biggest Branding Mistakes of All Time (2005), p. 73: "Procter & Gamble had seen the same thing happen with its Head & Shoulders brand. Did consumers really need 31 varieties of anti-dandruff shampoo?"
  6. ^ Abbersteen, Lucy (9 October 2018). "Claudia Winkleman on napping, fake tan and the best eyeliner money can buy". Marie Claire. Retrieved 18 February 2021.

External links[]


Stub icon

This product article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

  • v
  • t
Retrieved from ""