P&G plans Wella men’s launch to take on VO5

Procter & Gamble is to launch its first Wella brand range since it acquired the German haircare company last year.

Known as Shockwaves Xtrovert, the men’s range will comprise a hair gel, a gum, a putty and a hairspray. The launch will be supported by a &£4.5m television, print and outdoor campaign in the summer, aimed at fashion-conscious young men.

The introduction of Xtrovert will coincide with a wider repackaging of the Shockwaves range, with updated colours. An industry source says the launch of Xtrovert is a reaction to the success of Alberto-Culver’s VO5 Extreme male grooming range, which was rolled out last year (MW March 20, 2003).

The launch campaign will be Leo Burnett’s first creative work for Wella since P&G awarded it the account last year (MW November 20, 2003). Media for the company is still officially held by Wella’s incumbent agency PHD, although the business is expected to be moved into one of P&G’s roster media agencies, MediaCom, Zenith Optimedia, Starcom Motive or MediaVest.

Marketing duties for Shockwaves are handled by Wella’s marketing team. P&G has yet to announce what changes it will make to the team, which is headed by consumer division director Bob Bartlett in the UK.