The Unveiling of Olaplex's Game-Changing Strategy to Tackle TikTok's Dupe Culture

The search for more affordable versions of premium products has always been a consumer trend. However, the emergence of TikTok has seen a significant increase in the popularity of "dupes" - a term used to describe cheaper alternatives to high-end products. This trend has put pressure on marketers to emphasize the value of their products in order to avoid losing sales. Olaplex, a well-known hair care brand on TikTok, has taken a unique approach by claiming that the only worthy alternative to Olaplex is the brand itself.

To further emphasize this point, Olaplex recently launched an unboxing campaign featuring a new fictional product called Oladupé. This product, which is actually just a repackaged bottle of Olaplex No. 3, was designed to draw attention to the fact that Olaplex is often duplicated on TikTok. With the hashtag #Olaplexdupe gaining over 30 million views, the campaign also aimed to educate TikTok users about the quality of Olaplex products. Within days of its launch, the campaign's hashtag #Oladupe had already generated over 5.5 million views.

"Imitation is the highest form of flattery, and our aim was to leverage this imitation and the conversation surrounding dupes to have some fun with the fact that although you can imitate us, you can never truly replicate us," expressed Olaplex CMO Charlotte Watson.

The chosen influencers for this campaign were carefully selected to connect with the global hair care professional and consumer communities. Notable individuals included Lelani Green, Yesly Dimate, Shae Alexis, Audrey Boos, and others. Additionally, to further emphasize the concept of dupes, the brand also collaborated with celebrity "duper" Taylor Madison, a creator who bears a striking resemblance to Kylie Jenner.

Olaplex, a high-end hair care brand, sells its No. 3 product for $30 both online and in stores like Sephora and Ulta. However, the brand experienced a decline in net sales during the second quarter, with a significant drop of 61% in sales for its professional channel. CEO and president JuE Wong acknowledged this decline and emphasized the brand's efforts to stabilize demand trends and improve marketing investment during the second half of the year.

To create buzz and promote their product, Olaplex introduced a new marketing campaign featuring unboxing and creator videos. These videos showcased a product called Oladupé, which was presented as a great alternative to Olaplex. The packaging of Oladupé closely resembled that of Olaplex, but with a different label indicating it as Oladupé No. 160, a reference to the brand's 160 patents. Viewers were directed to a microsite where the first 160 visitors could claim a free bottle of Oladupé, which was actually a bottle of Olaplex No. 3. This promotional stunt garnered a variety of responses from consumers, and all the available free Oladupé bottles were claimed within just two hours.

“Various reactions emerged as people fell for this hoax due to the prevalence of similar scams,” stated Watson. "We noticed conversations taking place and individuals calling out Olaplex, but it was also heartening to witness numerous individuals defending us by stating that it is impossible to replicate Olaplex."

A few days after the introduction of the counterfeit Oladupé product, Olaplex disclosed the truth behind it using additional influencer content and a video posted on both the brand’s Instagram and TikTok accounts. Notably, the post featured a deepfake version of Wong, who emphasized that no one can imitate the company’s "patents, ingredients, or bond-building technology" before revealing herself as the actual person, aiming to underscore the ease with which one can fall for deception. This marketing stunt was devised in collaboration with Movers+Shakers agency and represents the first joint effort between the two companies.

The Oladupé campaign achieved a significant milestone for the brand, according to Lisa Bobroff, vice president of global communications and consumer engagement for Olaplex. By the end of the day on Wednesday, Oct. 4, the campaign had generated 20.1 million impressions and 24 million views of the hashtag #Oladupe. The campaign was strategically planned for the U.S. market but also gained traction and was shared in the U.K., Canada, Australia, and France, making it a coordinated global campaign for the brand. Bobroff expressed her excitement about the advocacy and love for the brand across all those territories.

The beauty of social listening

In addition to addressing the growing popularity of Olaplex dupes, the latest campaign by the company also aligns perfectly with its core values as a socially conscious brand. Watson mentioned that Olaplex, established in 2014, initially engaged with its stylist community through online forums on Facebook to gather insights and shape its strategy. Over time, this community has organically shifted towards TikTok, where the brand currently boasts a staggering 334 million followers.

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According to Watson, our social landscape plays a critical role in our market approach. We take pride in actively engaging with the community through social listening, gaining valuable insights into their interests and the current trends across different platforms.

This focus on social listening has not only allowed us to connect with the audience on a deeper level, but it has also enabled us to tap into authentic conversations and organic trends that go beyond our #Oladupé campaign. For instance, in early 2022, we noticed a trending hashtag on TikTok called #Olaplexbun, which was being used by consumers to showcase their Olaplex-supported bun up-dos. Inspired by this trend, we created our own hashtag challenge and launched our first official TikTok campaign, #Olaflex. This marketing move encouraged consumers to share their before-and-after content using Olaplex. Impressively, within just 72 hours of its launch, the hashtag had garnered over 3 billion views.

TikTok has become increasingly valuable to Olaplex due to its popularity as a platform for sharing hair content. The hashtag #hairtok alone has over 86 billion views, highlighting its significance. Additionally, TikTok allows the brand to establish a stronger connection with a younger user base, whose spending power is continuously growing. Watson stated that this demographic is of growing importance to Olaplex, and TikTok provides a means to effectively communicate with this audience in a way that resonates with them. The brand recognizes the audience's significant influence on beauty trends and other generations, making them the future consumer for Olaplex.

Olaplex is extending its Oladupé marketing campaign by incorporating influencer activations and recapping the playful effort. The aim is to tap into the excitement around dupes while also highlighting why the brand is unique and cannot be replicated. According to Watson, Olaplex is leveraging organic trends and discussions on the platform that involve the brand to shape the narrative and engage with the community. By being at the forefront of these conversations, the brand intends to have a more influential presence.