“There are two things you need to create a great brand,” Diggi said.  I was listening intently because he had developed many great brands in his 14 years as head of brand development at Unilever.

“First, you need a great product that you can buy. Not just slightly better. MUCH better. Great new brands require products that can really wow a user. The good news is that you HAVE such a product.”

He was referring to our ILLUMAI line of hair products – a sulfate-free, non-ionic shampoo that cleaned without stripping and a conditioner that nurtured, detangled and protected.  Importantly, the products delivered extraordinarily shiny, soft, manageable hair with ‘weightless volume.’

“A great product is necessary, but not sufficient,” he continued.  “You also need a compelling story you can buy into.”

We knew that our marketing explanations were too kludgy.  We did not have a compelling story to buy into.

We lost readers when we explained the deep science behind Illumai … introducing them to Dr. Zasloff and describing the revolutionary “mechanism of action” in the patented formulations.   And if, instead, we started the discussion with the beauty or health benefits, we sounded like dozens of other products.  We weren’t telling a compelling story for a customer to buy into.  How could we get a better story?

Diggi continued, “The good news is that you already have the compelling story … you just aren’t telling it.”

“What’s that?” I asked, incredulously.  I was all ears. If we could just get a chance to present Illumai to women who care about their hair and the products they put on their bodies, we would succeed. No doubts. If they “got” the way Illumai worked … and tried it … they would become enthusiastic customers.

Diggi continued, “The best stories start with a ‘timeless truth’ – something that everyone believes without further proof. Then your brand story updates that truth with what’s new and different about the product.

“Your timeless truth is this: ‘Nature has it right.’  If you look at animals – consider a fox or a polar bear, for example – they have beautiful, shiny, manageable hair.

“People KNOW that stripping off all the oils and replacing them with man-made silicones and oils is not best. Working WITH what nature provides is the better way.

“And now for the update … how your product relates to this timeless truth,” Diggi continued.  “Because Illumai is the ONLY hair care system that works with what nature provides (without stripping the oils and replacing them with silicones), you embrace and align with the ‘timeless truth’ that Nature had it right to begin with.”

Diggi then pointed out that our patents support the story perfectly when we present the three products as a complete hair-care system.

• The shampoo uses XO-70^®, an extremely mild detergent that removes dirt but not the peptides, proteins and moisturizing oils that protect the hair;
• The conditioner provides isoleucine, an essential amino acid, which stimulates production of anti-microbial peptides and other ingredients that nurture the scalp and hair; and
• The mist’s Lipid Complex™ detangles, repairs and protects the hair from future damage.

How To Tell The Story

So, all that was true.   We had a system solution that fixed the problems induced by the strip-then-coat approach of all other hair care products.  Now, how could we present it?

“You are the first ‘Biome Care System‘ for the hair,” Diggi suggested.    He was using ‘biome’ precisely – the entire living ecosystem of skin/scalp, follicles, sebaceous glands, hair, peptides, proteins, moisturizing oils and the microbiome in, on and under those items.   There is a growing awareness of the bio-science governing all living systems, including those supporting healthy, beautiful hair.  We were perfectly aligned with those principles.

By embracing this three-step system, each one of which supports the health of the biome, we are able to tell the story in a way that was genuine (no BS), unique and memorable.

1. Cleanse – the shampoo with XO-70 cleansed without stripping the hair, killing the microbiome or leaving a residue;
2. Nurture – the conditioner with isoleucine stimulated and restored both the anti-microbial layer and the waterproofing layer of the biome; and
3. Protect – the leave-in mist, with Lipid Complex™, sealed and protected the hair, providing manageability and shine.

Try It, You’ll Like It

Since day one, we’ve known that if people try the products and know something about how they are working, they become committed customers.  Until now, though, we haven’t had a sample-size set of all three products.  So, we commissioned a “travel-size” set that would provide several uses to a new user.

The marketing program now became clearer:  Use our unique and proprietary science to open an online dialogue with potential users and offer them the travel-size set as a low-cost, low-risk way of experiencing the product.  If history is any guide, a meaningful number of people who try the system will then buy it.

The production is scheduled for January 2016.  We will launch a new website with content that is oriented around the concept of the biome supporting healthy, beautiful hair, and Illumai as the first Biome Care System for the hair.