In as we speak’s fast-paced advertising panorama, innovation and client connection are paramount, particularly within the quickly evolving magnificence trade. A groundbreaking improvement on this area is the mixing of ChatGPT know-how, revolutionizing how customers work together with magnificence merchandise. Main this progressive cost for Dove Hair is Ekaterina Anikina, a seasoned advertising and product improvement specialist at Unilever. With over a decade of expertise, she has efficiently pushed international initiatives and product launches. As one of many main specialists in magnificence innovation, she shares her insights into integrating AI know-how into model eco-systems to create significant engagement with customers, her profession path, and her mission to problem magnificence stereotypes by way of inclusive and sensible promoting
Q: Ekaterina, it’s a pleasure to lastly speak to you, regardless of the restricted period of time we’ve. So, let me get straight to the purpose. You’ve traveled by way of half of the world, engaged on behalf of one of many primary firms within the magnificence trade. For a form of introduction earlier than we get to the very subject of our assembly, may you briefly stroll us by way of your method to success?
Ekaterina Anikina: Good afternoon! Sure, it really took a while to coordinate our schedules, and I’m glad to lastly meet you. Answering your query, I started my advertising profession fairly a while in the past, in 2010, in Unilever’s hair care class – some 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 corresponding 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’ll be able to think about, it means main improvements for utterly completely different markets, whereas understanding client routines and advertising landscapes. In a nutshell, it’s been a journey, actually and figuratively, but it surely 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 undertaking. As I already discovered, the mixing of Synthetic Intelligence into the wonder sphere came about 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 individuals discover the merchandise that work finest for his or her hair and scalp wants. This undertaking addresses the ignorance about scalp care and merchandise/routines finest suited to completely different scalp sorts, or steadily – even the power to determine one’s scalp sort accurately. We developed a instrument that gives individuals with the required data about their scalp and provides personalised product suggestions from the Dove Scalp + Hair Remedy vary, along with offering recommendations on scalp care, related skilled articles, recommendation on the best way to apply merchandise and the best 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 huge language fashions. It has gained worldwide recognition and was offered at London Tech Week in June 2024.
Q: Please present us with extra technical particulars. How does it truly work?
We needed to construct a conversational resolution that feels human-like and with a purpose to obtain that, we harnessed the facility of pre-trained giant language fashions like GPT. We created a customized mannequin skilled on our model intelligence that may reply a variety of queries on hair & scalp. This undertaking is enabling us to innovate in the direction of a extra dynamic, conversational AI-driven expertise. It paves the best way for a future the place internet experiences are usually not simply responsive however really interactive and personalised, answering primary inquiries and producing micro internet experiences tailor-made to extra complicated questions by way of easy chat interactions. Accessible by way of Dove.com, this instrument will advocate the most effective Dove Scalp + Hair Remedy merchandise for you after studying about your hair sort and targets by way of an interactive, 12-question evaluation.
In fact, as with all digital instrument, it can not change an in-person session along with your trichologist or dermatologist, but it surely’s an important academic expertise.
Q: I assume that is yet one more instance of how know-how is altering each a part of our lives. What components helped you obtain success with this undertaking, and what obstacles did you face?
Ekaterina Anikina: We have now 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, problem that many customers might expertise in accurately 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, reasonably than product-first. We began with an precise client downside, present attitudes to the scalp, and primary ache factors Do I would like to make use of a scalp scrub day by day or as soon as every week? Can I exploit 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 related ecosystem to handle 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 speedy categorical scalp checks and hyperlinks to a full expertise – all of it is targeted on offering invaluable, tailor-made content material – from model specialists and dermatologists to create a significant digital expertise for customers.
Q: And the undertaking we speak about has already acquired its first recognition successful 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 specialists. Dove Scalp + Hair Remedy vary has already received six Magnificence Awards since its launch in January 2024, our hero product – Dove Scalp + Hair Remedy Serum is already a high 10 new therapy in gross sales amongst new remedies launched within the US this yr. Total, the launch has gained quite a lot of consideration all through the skilled neighborhood, together with dermatologists and trichologists. Dove scalp + hair remedy vary was offered on the American Academy of Dermatology 2024 assembly. The AI expertise was showcased at London Tech Week.
Q: Awards given to tasks should have an effect on the undertaking’s authors as nicely, don’t they?
A: Sure and no. The primary time a advertising marketing campaign I created acquired an award was again in 2011 after I was contemporary out of the College, so it felt surreal. Since then, this type of recognition has occurred in a number of nations, and I see it extra like an immensely gratifying and humbling expertise, however by no means a objective in itself. As an illustration, whereas I’m proud that the merchandise I’ve labored on have already received over 50 Magnificence Awards within the US, and I personally received the 2022 Better of Enterprise Award in worldwide advertising, and served on the jury of the Profitable Girls Award, but it surely’s all a consequence, not a objective. 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 greater and better every year. So I consider in staying curious and continually studying to achieve the longer term…
Q: …and talking of the longer term, what additional affect would you like your undertaking to have on different individuals? What’s subsequent?
Ekaterina Anikina: I hope this launch helps ladies perceive the facility of caring for his or her scalp to attain extra resilient, healthy-looking, and nourished hair. In the end, we wish ladies 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 additionally as a form of knowledge-distributor, if I’ll identify it this manner. Is this concept nonetheless on the desk?
Ekaterina Anikina: Oh, sure! Past a product launch, I’ve additionally authored an educational article on methods and methods of making new client habits, and one other paper trying 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 wonder trade to new heights. What social affect do you attempt to attain along with your work? Do you have got a private mission?
Ekaterina Anikina: My mission is to widen magnificence illustration and problem poisonous magnificence stereotypes. As an illustration, whereas ladies are all too usually inspired to vary 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 ladies 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 ladies face concerning their hair. My objective as an expert is to make use of each instrument accessible, even these by no means tried earlier than within the trade, to contribute positively to the dialog round magnificence.