How Razorfish revived Church & Dwight’s hair removal brand Nair

After years of unimpressive results and category headwinds, management had all but given up on bringing Nair back. The brand’s fate looked grim, until advertising agency Razorfish turned things around.

The brief

While many older consumers remembered Nair’s jingle fondly, the brand was losing relevance among younger generations. Meanwhile, the zeitgeist was beginning to embrace female body hair, as self-love became increasingly relevant in pop culture. The brand’s management needed to revive itself. They hired Razorfish in a leap of faith.

In order to stay afloat, Nair was to hit four goals following the campaign: accelerate sales, increase penetration, boost share and grow unaided awareness among women between ages 18 and 24.

The idea

Razorfish’s to-do list was lengthy. Before embarking on a campaign, the agency dove deep into the brand’s history and legacy. What they uncovered was fascinating: women’s hair removal was never about hygiene. Rather, it was about fashion and sex appeal (hence the short shorts).

There was just one problem: the 1970s notion of ’sexy’ was far outdated. Thus, a starting point for the rebrand was revealed: positioning Nair as ’sexy’ in today’s sense.

Aside from creating new packaging and positioning, Razorfish created a campaign that championed self-acceptance and self-love. One actress had vitiligo, signifying that Nair is a tool women can use to feel more comfortable in their own skin. Meanwhile, another young woman in the ad was far less along her self-love journey and admitted that being kind to herself didn’t yet come naturally.

The campaign reminds women that, no matter how far along they are on their self-love journey, Nair is there for them at every step.

The results

During the pandemic alone, Nair lost significant market share - a worrying sign after decades of flat sales.

Following Nair's campaign and rebrand, the brand saw its goals surpassed. Within the first month, sales increased more than 2x above the goal, market share reached a new record for the brand, unaided brand awareness among women aged 18 to 24 rose 9% and social following grew an astonishing 594%.

This campaign won at The Drum Awards for the Digital Industries 2022. You can see all the winners here. The Drum Awards for Marketing are currently open for entry. Find out how you can enter now.