In right now’s fast-paced advertising and marketing panorama, innovation and client connection are paramount, particularly within the quickly evolving magnificence trade. A groundbreaking improvement on this subject is the combination of ChatGPT know-how, revolutionizing how shoppers work together with magnificence merchandise. Main this progressive cost for Dove Hair is Ekaterina Anikina, a seasoned advertising and marketing and product development specialist at Unilever. With over a decade of expertise, she has efficiently pushed world initiatives and product launches. As one of many main consultants in magnificence innovation, she shares her insights into integrating AI know-how into model eco-systems to create significant engagement with shoppers, her profession path, and her mission to problem magnificence stereotypes by inclusive and reasonable promoting
Q: Ekaterina, it’s a pleasure to lastly discuss to you, regardless of the restricted period of time we now have. So, let me get straight to the purpose. You’ve gotten traveled by half of the world, engaged on behalf of one of many predominant companies within the magnificence trade. For a type of introduction earlier than we get to the very matter of our assembly, might you briefly stroll us by your strategy to success?
Ekaterina Anikina: Good afternoon! Sure, it actually took a while to coordinate our schedules, and I’m glad to lastly meet you. Answering your query, I started my advertising and marketing profession fairly a while in the past, in 2010, in Unilever’s hair care class – one of the fast-paced, emotional, and disruptive classes in magnificence. Right here I found my ardour for product and promoting improvement whereas engaged on iconic manufacturers like Dove and Clear and launching new premium manufacturers comparable to Toni&Man. My journey took me throughout continents, from the UK to Argentina and now to the US. Right here, I lead innovation and communication improvement for Dove Hair in North America. As you possibly can think about, it means main improvements for utterly completely different markets, whereas understanding client routines and marketing landscapes. In a nutshell, it’s been a journey, actually and figuratively, however it formed me as a marketeer and a magnificence crafter.
Q: Certainly! And talking proper about improvements, I want to ask you concerning the Dove scalp + hair remedy mission. As I already came upon, the combination of Synthetic Intelligence into the sweetness sphere occurred with this one. Inform us extra!
Ekaterina Anikina: Sure, this launch marks a big and thrilling milestone for the model. Dove Scalp + Hair Remedy is a brand new vary of holistic scalp + hair care merchandise. Past merchandise – it’s an built-in expertise that options an AI-enabled private advisor to assist folks discover the merchandise that work finest for his or her hair and scalp wants. This mission addresses the lack of expertise about scalp care and merchandise/routines finest fitted to completely different scalp sorts, or often – even the power to determine one’s scalp sort appropriately. We developed a instrument that gives folks with the mandatory information about their scalp and affords customized product suggestions from the Dove Scalp + Hair Remedy vary, along with offering tips on scalp care, related knowledgeable articles, recommendation on the way to apply merchandise and the way to construct your scalp care routine, similar to many people construct our face care routine. We constructed our product by harnessing the facility of enormous language fashions. It has gained worldwide recognition and was introduced at London Tech Week in June 2024.
Q: Please present us with extra technical particulars. How does it really work?
We needed to construct a conversational resolution that feels human-like and with the intention to obtain that, we harnessed the facility of pre-trained giant language fashions like GPT. We created a customized mannequin educated on our model intelligence that may reply a variety of queries on hair & scalp. This mission is enabling us to innovate in the direction of a extra dynamic, conversational AI-driven expertise. It paves the way in which for a future the place internet experiences are usually not simply responsive however actually interactive and customized, answering primary inquiries and producing micro internet experiences tailor-made to extra advanced questions by easy chat interactions. Accessible through Dove.com, this instrument will suggest one of the best Dove Scalp + Hair Remedy merchandise for you after studying about your hair sort and objectives through an interactive, 12-question evaluation.
In fact, as with all digital instrument, it can not exchange an in-person session along with your trichologist or dermatologist, however it’s an awesome academic expertise.
Q: I assume that is one more instance of how know-how is altering each a part of our lives. What elements helped you obtain success with this mission, and what obstacles did you face?
Ekaterina Anikina: Now we have to confess most of us don’t pay sufficient consideration to scalp well being till issues come up: it’s a traditional case of out of sight – out of thoughts. So, our challenges included low to medium consciousness of scalp well being fundamentals, issue that many shoppers could expertise in appropriately figuring out their scalp sorts., and general confusion concerning the function of every product that could be provided in a routine. Success got here from aligning client issues with know-how from the beginning and pondering ecosystem and consumer-first, slightly than product-first. We began with an precise client drawback, present attitudes to the scalp, and predominant ache factors Do I want to make use of a scalp scrub day-after-day or as soon as per week? Can I take advantage of it if I’ve a delicate scalp? Ought to I apply a serum on dry or moist hair? The record goes on and on. Then we overlaid it with our client’s digital journeys, in addition to bodily product expertise to create a linked ecosystem to deal with these questions – from pack QR codes resulting in the expertise to e-com integration, to our model channels, in addition to bodily academic leaflets with rapid specific scalp checks and hyperlinks to a full expertise – all of it is concentrated on offering worthwhile, tailor-made content material – from model consultants and dermatologists to create a significant digital expertise for shoppers.
Q: And the mission we speak about has already acquired its first recognition profitable a number of awards because it was launched. Are you able to inform us extra about these outcomes?
Ekaterina Anikina: I’m thrilled that this launch has already gained recognition by the trade’s consultants. Dove Scalp + Hair Remedy vary has already gained six Magnificence Awards since its launch in January 2024, our hero product – Dove Scalp + Hair Remedy Serum is already a high 10 new remedy in gross sales amongst new therapies launched within the US this 12 months. Total, the launch has gained a variety of consideration all through the skilled group, together with dermatologists and trichologists. Dove scalp + hair remedy vary was introduced on the American Academy of Dermatology 2024 assembly. The AI expertise was showcased at London Tech Week.
Q: Awards given to initiatives should have an effect on the mission’s authors as effectively, don’t they?
A: Sure and no. The primary time a advertising and marketing marketing campaign I created acquired an award was again in 2011 once I was recent out of the College, so it felt surreal. Since then, this type of recognition has occurred in a number of international locations, and I see it extra like an immensely gratifying and humbling expertise, however by no means a purpose in itself. As an example, whereas I’m proud that the merchandise I’ve labored on have already gained over 50 Magnificence Awards within the US, and I personally gained the 2022 Better of Enterprise Award in worldwide advertising and marketing, and served on the jury of the Profitable Women Award, however it’s all a consequence, not a purpose. And if something, it’s a reminder to stay curious and by no means keep complacent, as a result of the tempo of improvements could be very intense, and the bar will get raised larger and better every year. So I consider in staying curious and always studying to achieve the longer term…
Q: …and talking of the longer term, what additional affect would you like your mission to have on different folks? What’s subsequent?
Ekaterina Anikina: I hope this launch helps girls perceive the facility of caring for his or her scalp to attain extra resilient, healthy-looking, and nourished hair. Finally, we wish girls to have a optimistic relationship with their distinctive magnificence.
Q: I additionally keep in mind you speaking about your future not solely as a goal-achiever but in addition as a type of knowledge-distributor, if I could identify it this manner. Is this concept nonetheless on the desk?
Ekaterina Anikina: Oh, sure! Past a product launch, I’ve additionally authored a tutorial article on methods and methods of making new client habits, and one other paper wanting into portfolio premiumization methods in magnificence, drawing on this expertise in addition to greater than a decade of working throughout geographies in magnificence and leveraging case research throughout the trade.
Q: It looks as if you’ve discovered your ardour in elevating the sweetness trade to new heights. What social affect do you try to attain along with your work? Do you will have a private mission?
Ekaterina Anikina: My mission is to widen magnificence illustration and problem poisonous magnificence stereotypes. As an example, whereas girls are all too typically inspired to alter their hair to suit societal requirements, be it coloring their grays or altering their hair form, I led the Dove Love Your Hair Assortment, celebrating all hair sorts and inspiring girls to like and nourish the hair that makes them, them. This marketing campaign was a part of Dove’s dedication to actual magnificence, addressing the pressures and unrealistic requirements girls face relating to their hair. My purpose as knowledgeable is to make use of each instrument out there, even these by no means tried earlier than within the trade, to contribute positively to the dialog round magnificence.
