• by Tricia Despres , December 29, 2006

Taking a shower is usually a rather mundane task. Day after day, same old thing. So imagine the surprise of health club members across the New York metropolitan area when they looked down to see their shower mats transformed before their soapy eyes.

In partnership with Health Club Panel Network (HCPN), Head & Shoulders unveiled the shower mats at nearly 300 health clubs in the New York market in the spring. The mats initially looked typical, albeit with the message "Start at the Scalp" printed at the top. But when hot water hit the shower mat, the full ad was revealed, encouraging showerers to try Head & Shoulders shampoo for "healthy, beautiful, 100 percent dandruff-free hair."

"HCPN's ability to deliver in-shower and take-home sampling ... really worked for us," says Sundar Raman, brand manager for Head & Shoulders.