The Devil Wears Prada 2 won’t hit theaters until May 1, but it’s already spawning a brand ecosystem.
TRESemmé, L’Oréal Paris, and Grey Goose all aired campaigns during the Oscars. Diet Coke is rolling out limited-edition cans across Europe. Cinemark has six collectibles.
TRESemmé is the most interesting one to me. It recently announced its status as the “signature hair brand” of the film. This word choice matters. It goes beyond being a sponsor, or a co-branding partner.
“Signature” is pro sports league territory. It’s how Infosys talks about its premium relationship with Madison Square Garden—where it has naming rights on a theater—or how Gatorade is the “official sports drink” of the NFL, MLB, WNBA, and multiple others. It doesn’t just mean your logo is on something. It means you’re structural, and are part of the game itself.
And that’s so important given the competitive landscape TRESemmé finds itself in, and the opportunity that Devil Wears Prada 2 provides.
TRESemmé has fallen behind in the race for purchase consideration
The Devil Wears Prada is a film about women’s ambition, choices, and power, against a backdrop of Chanel and Prada. Its protagonist is a woman trying to survive in that world, not own it.
That’s the audience TRESemmé is reaching with its Devil Wears Prada 2 alignment: women who aspire to the fantasy, but shop at Target.
And TRESemmé needs to solve a problem: it trails competitors like Suave and Pantene in purchase consideration across every female age group, according to data from Morning Consult. Over the past year, it has only a 28% consideration rate among women 18-29; 39% among women 30-44 as well as women 45-64; and a 30% consideration rate among women 65 and up.
