• by Karl Greenberg , August 3, 2007

P&G's Herbal Essence brand is launching a tie-in with MTV that centers on the MTV Music Awards broadcast this fall, with a promotion that gives the winning entrant the chance to star in an Herbal Essence reality video that MTV will broadcast during the September awards show.

The winner and a guest will attend the Video Music Awards Weekend in Las Vegas and be trailed by a camera crew. The winner also gets to attend the Sept. 7 VMA kick-off party hosted by Herbal Essences and MTV and attend parties and VIP events, plus the award show and post-party on Sept. 9. The entire experience will be broadcast in September.

To enter, consumers have to answer essay questions and upload a photo by Aug. 17 at herbalessences.mtv.com. P&G selects the winner on Aug. 21.

According to a November 2006 study by research firm Mintel, people ages 18-24 are more likely than older consumers to buy the latest styles and fashions. The firm says younger consumers also view shopping as entertainment and will change brands for novelty's sake.

Mintel expects retail sales of shampoo and conditioner to grow to $2.1 billion by 2010--a 2% increase from 2005, but a decline of 13% in constant terms. The firm says the maturity of the sector is restraining volume growth.

Also, what growth there is--in high-end products--is coming at the expense of others in the same realm. "Much of the market share goes to first- and second-leading brands within their respective companies, such as Head & Shoulders, Suave, and L'Oréal, which are not likely to be able to push through significant price increases," says the firm in an earlier report.