• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, April 26, 2022

Bangs, bleaching touch-up, perms: There’s a lot that can go wrong while hairstyling.  So Dove is issuing a playful toss of its mane to those #HairFail fears -- a hashtag generating a billion or so TikTok videos these days -- and teaming up with Progressive to offer a faux insurance product.

The joint promotion started with Unilever’s Dove. “We launched Dove Hair Therapy last year,” says Aela Abalos, head of influencer marketing for Dove, “and we’ve been expanding it to include new products, including the Rescue & Protect line of shampoo and conditioner.”

Besides finding ways to demonstrate the products' effectiveness, “we wanted something that could create reassurance for our consumers, so they could be bold and brave and take the next step when it comes to styling and experimenting freely.”

At first glance, it might look like a brand disconnect. After all, Dove is known for sincerity itself, deeply invested in the mission to help people realize their personal beauty potential. Partnering with a brand like Progressive, known for its offbeat humor and wise-cracking characters, might seem like a mismatch.

Abalos tells Marketing Daily the Dove X Progressive Hair Assurance sweepstakes is on-brand. “We wanted a partner that was well known and respected in the insurance category, and it was clear that Progressive values care and protection just as much as we do.”

And while she thinks consumers will quickly get the joke -- there’s an asterisk explaining that “Hair Assurance” is not, in fact, an insurance product -- she hopes the campaign will garner some excitement. “We’re hoping people realize they have the freedom to experiment more with their hair. We want to make them more confident.”

The week-long sweepstakes promotion allowed people to enter with proof of purchase of any two Dove Hair Therapy products from Target, Walmart or Kroger. And 2,000 winners were chosen, earning a $100 gift card for their next salon visit.

For now, the program is a one-off. ”We just want to make sure it lands well with consumers, and then we’ll go from there,” says Abalos, adding that Dove is tracking awareness for the new premium product range.

“But we’re always exploring different ways to create strong partnerships,” she adds. Dove has also teamed up with Matthew Cherry, for example, the filmmaker of “Hair Love.”

And who knows what could come next? Abalos is quick to point out Progressive knows its way around quality hair care, thanks to spokesperson Flo: “That brunette bob is gorgeous, and she manages to be both unique and iconic at the same time.”