Marissa Hopson wins Pantene's First Reality Hair Star

28 May '10

4 min read

In celebration of its latest launch, Pantene broke new ground last night when they aired the World's First Reality Hair Ad. Pantene put their products to the ultimate test in front of millions live on a first-ever roadblock across Oxygen Media, Bravo Media, and the NBC season finale of "The Biggest Loser: Couples." In the sixty-second spot, spokesperson Stacy London also revealed the winner of Pantene's online search for the World's First Reality Hair Star.

Marissa Hopson, 24, of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, was named Pantene's First Reality Hair Star. Hopson, a 24 year-old broadcast journalism student, was chosen from 140 contestants. Hopson was chosen based on her ability to be engaging and comfortable on camera, her personality, and of course, her healthy beautiful hair. Hopson was not aware she was the winner of the Pantene contest until the airing of the live ad.

"I'm so excited to be Pantene's First Reality Hair Star!" said Hopson. "I've always been a huge fan of Pantene and it was an amazing experience to be in the first-ever live Pantene ad!"

The live ad was a departure from anything Pantene has done before. Unlike traditional Pantene TV advertisements, this ad was not set in a controlled studio environment; there were no re-takes. Instead, earlier in the day, cameras were hidden in Hopson's home, and she was surprised to see herself live on TV as the ad aired and was also surprised by London when she knocked on her front door, without advanced warning, to notify her that she was chosen as the World's First Reality Hair Star. The cameras captured Hopson's genuine surprise and revealed the real-time results of the new Pantene.

After Hopson got over the initial shock that she was live on TV and the winner of the contest, she exclaimed "I'm the first Reality Hair Star, thanks Pantene!" Earlier in the day, Hopson had received a Pantene makeover so during the live ad, London encouraged her to do her best "Pantene hair flip" for the millions of viewers watching at home to demonstrate the real-time results that new Pantene delivers.

"I was really excited to be involved in such a revolutionary project," said London, "Marissa is the perfect girl to be chosen as Pantene's First Reality Hair Star, she has a dynamic personality and great hair to match."

From April 2nd through April 18th 2010, Pantene received 140 one-minute videos of hopefuls telling the Brand why they should be the World's First Reality Hair Star. America voted on their favorite videos and Pantene evaluated the submissions to narrow it down to 12 semi-finalists on April 26th. On May 12th, the semi-finalists were flown to New York City for an in-person test shoot that included a consultation with Pantene celebrity stylist Danilo, a makeup and wardrobe styling session, an interview with Grey advertising executives and an audition on camera.

The live ad is part of Pantene's unprecedented level of marketing support for its new customized hair solutions and was created and produced in partnership with Women at NBCU and the Creative Partnerships & Innovation division of NBCU's ad sales organization.

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