Pantene is a brand of hair care products owned by Procter & Gamble.

The product line was first

introduced in Europe in 1945 by Hoffmann - La Roche ofSwitzerland, which branded the name
based on panthenol as a shampoo ingredient. It was purchased by Procter & Gamble (P&G) in 1985
in order for P&G to compete in the "beauty product" market rather than only functional products.[1]
The brand's best-known product became the 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioning formula, Pantene
Pro-V (Pantene Pro-Vitamin). The product became most noted due to an advertising campaign in the
late 1980s in which fashion models said, "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful." [2][3] Kelly LeBrock and
Iman gained notoriety as the first television spokeswomen to speak the line. [4] The line was criticized
by feminists and became a pop-culture catchphrase for "annoying" narcissistic behavior.[5][6]

Advertising campaigns[edit]

Chile, 2010

In 1990, Procter & Gamble Taiwan launched a new advertising campaign surrounding its new
Pantene Pro-V formula, a combining of Pantene's vitamin formula and P&G's 2-in-1 technology.
Pantene Pro-V was first introduced in Taiwan and a year later in the US and globally. Research
results, compiled from markets around the world, led P&G to hypothesize that health positioning
might provide the basis for a new worldwide hair care franchise. The research indicated that: Women
believed the ideal standard for hair is "healthy". Women considered their own hair damaged. Women
believed that shine signaled health. Pro-vitamin formulation provided real support for claims.
Advertising was developed around a health positioning and customized at the local level with the tag
line, "Hair So Healthy It Shines." The new product, Pantene Pro-V was introduced in newly designed
cylindrical shaped bottles. There were four lead countries involved in Pantene's Pro-V launch. Each
communicated a different piece of the strategy and execution elements, as follows:

United States: a TV campaign was developed using an authoritative spokeswoman and

showing the transformation of the model's hair;

Taiwan: dramatized the end-result - the shine (a very powerful end benefit in this part of the
world);

France: dramatized the vitamin capsule ingredient story;

United Kingdom: demonstrated product efficacy via the hair root demonstration.

By 1994, following its launch in 55 countries, Pantene was the #1 hair care brand around the world
with sales reaching over $1 billion. Two years later it was still leading in 78 countries and by 1998, it
was the leading shampoo in 90 countries.[7]