Online Exclusive—Packaging P&G’s Wella Koleston Foam Hair Color
Ceradini Brand Design Inc. develops a global package design system for the Wella Koleston color intense foam hair color brand.
By Lisa Samalonis, Associate Editor

Case Study Overview

As agency-of-record for Procter & Gamble’s Wella Koleston hair color brand sold in more than 80

Models with long dark hair and the foam product are featured prominently on the package, as is the brand’s “hair river.”

countries worldwide, Ceradini Brand Design Inc. continues to evolve packaging to keep pace with consumer needs. Internationally, Wella Koleston is an established brand that has served three generations of women. Recently P&G brought to market Wella Koleston Color Intense Foam, an innovation in the hair color category. The foam product is designed to provide consumers with an easy to control (no dripping or mess) hair color experience that delivers intense color for even coverage, from root to tip. “The experience of the foam is exactly like shampooing your hair,” explains Lori Raymer, VP, creative services at Ceradini. “For consumers, this is a big behavioral change.”

Ceradini Brand Design Inc. embraced this new package design opportunity. P&G Wella Koleston gave the design firm a mission to create a design execution that brings something entirely different to the hair color category.

“We had to consider the fact that this new foam product would sit on shelf side by side with the base Wella Koleston cream hair color product. The two had to relate to one another to create a strong shelf block while at the same time be different enough to avoid consumer confusion,” explains David Ceradini, founder, president and chief creative officer of Ceradini Brand Design Inc.

Wella Koleston is sold outside of the U.S. and has a strong presence in countries such as Latin America and Turkey. Wella Koleston is also one of the fastest growing brands within the P&G portfolio. Currently the foam product is available in 24 shades.

“A big challenge was to communicate quickly to the consumers at shelf that this is something new and

Wella Koleston foam hair color is an innovation for the established brand.

different yet still from the same brand that they have trusted and used all these years,” says Ceradini. “We had to visually make sure that the foam product came from the same family, yet was new and different.”

Ceradini developed a minimalist look for packaging to capture the innovative nature of the foam product. “We featured an oversized foamer bottle on the front of the pack and balanced it with an unconventional cropping of the model’s head by showing half of her face. We continued using the hair wave or river–our signature brand element. This carries through from the cream product to the foam, and displays the color prominently on the front of the package,” says Ceradini, pointing out that from a branding perspective, this created a strong, billboarded shelf as consumers walk down the aisle. “This fresh design appeals to current Wella Koleston users but also draws in a younger generation of women through its modernist look, tone and feel.”

Raymer adds that the minimalist and modern package design with geometric shapes and the unconventional cropping help communicate that the brand is an innovator, not just an “old-fashioned brand.”

The product and the foam have a large presence on the rich purple carton, which is designed to be impactful for 360 degrees. For example, the carton contents are featured visually, and photography is used to telegraphically convey product usage, adds David Simpson, director of marketing and growth, at Ceradini.

“All the models on the cartons have long hair, which is very different than a North American brand,” Raymer says, noting that globally in the markets where Wella Koleston is sold, dark, long hair is the predominant trend. To help consumers pick their perfect shade, point-of-sale materials and hair swatches feature the variety of colors and shades.

“Wella Koleston Color Intense Foam is off to a fast start and is demonstrating good success in its initial launch in key markets. In a matter of only a few months, the product has already nearly achieved global share objectives,” says Simpson.