L’Oreal Creates Targeted Ads Based on Hair Color

Published June 2, 2014 at 6:39 am

Thanks to the increased availability of data, marketers have been able to create campaigns more closely based on the interests of users. With targeted campaigns marketers are able to more directly reach a specific audience that will be interested in purchasing a product or service.

But can advertising be specific enough to target users based on hair color?

A campaign from L’Oreal is using technology that allows the company to market their product via a platform that allows them to show what photos of people with various hair colors would look like if they used L’Oreal hair products. According to Adage, “different products are featured based on the hair color of the women in the photo,” across a variety of websites. The campaign is to promote L’Oreal’s line of “Ombre” hair products, based on a trend in celebrity hairstyles.

By finding a way to make the product visible to the audience that is most likely to purchase it, L’Oreal looks to generate greater awareness about this product, and in turn, increase sales. Additionally, this campaign highlights the power of images to convey information about a product or service.

Showing the result of what various hairstyles may look like when this product is applied may give consumers a better idea of what to expect from it before they make a purchase, and they will be able to see these ads as they peruse online content that is of interest to them.

This campaign highlights the role that targeting plays in effectively reaching an audience to inform them about a product they might be interested in. Although this campaign uses a unique technology to attain its desired result, the value of creating finely targeted campaigns is important to every marketer.