Alberto-Culver launches mass-market hair brand

Alberto-Culver is to unveil its first mass-market haircare brand for more than a decade with the launch of Tresemmé, which goes on sale in the summer.

Tresemmé will be supported by a &£20m ad campaign created by Euro RSCG. Alberto-Culver has allocated at least &£8m to be spent on a television campaign in June, with the remainder being shared between print and radio and in-store promotions.

The 18-strong product range will include shampoos, conditioners and hair-styling products, such as mousses and sprays.

Tresemmé will be marketed as a salon-quality brand, but sold at mass-market prices. With an average retail price of &£4, Tresemmé will be positioned directly against leading brands such as Procter & Gamble’s Pantene and L’Oréal’s Elvive.

An industry source says Tresemmé’s distinctive black-and-white brand design should help it to stand out on shelf, which he says is essential in the highly competitive mass haircare market.

He adds: “This is the first major brand launch from Alberto-Culver in years, so the company is putting as much money as it can into making Tresemmé a success”.

Tresemmé has been successfully launched in the US, and has previously been available in hairdressing salons across Europe. It will join Alberto-Culver’s existing haircare brands, including its licensed Andrew Collinge and VO5 haircare ranges. An Alberto-Culver spokeswoman would not comment on the launch.

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