Scalp and hair care is shifting from basic cleansing to health-driven, natural, and personalized solutions.Asia-Pacific leads the global market with 39.5% share, fueled by middle-class growth and e-commerce expansion.
Rising demand for formula transparency, functionality, and ESG commitments is pushing brands to invest in silicone-free, balancing, and restorative products—marking a shift toward refined, high-engagement competition.Despite the growth, brands lacking in R&D, data strategy, or channel integration face the risk of falling behind rising consumer expectations.
Why We Selected This Case
Kao, a leading Japanese brand rooted in Taiwan, is trusted by families and sensitive-skin users for its gentle, reliable image. Its lineup ranges from affordable daily care to salon-grade products for mature consumers.
As Korean beauty gains momentum and local tastes evolve, Kao faced a key challenge: how to stay relevant to younger generations without losing its brand essence. Partnering with ADGo, Kao launched a brand transformation—leveraging Market Intelligence Sweep, Integrated Marketing Creativity, and Extreme Creative Brainstorm to drive experience-led engagement and elevate brand value.
Market and Strategic Insights
Taiwan’s scalp care market is shifting from basic hygiene to personalized, health-focused solutions, with competition now centered on tech innovation, data, and consumer education.Kao is well-positioned to lead—leveraging texture innovation, AI scalp diagnostics, and ingredient transparency to build trust. As preventative care gains importance, medical partnerships and data-driven services will drive brand differentiation.By 2025, media strategies will evolve into O+O experiential ecosystems, spotlighting topics like scalp microbiome and sustainable packaging.
The goal: evolve Kao’s image from “a trusted, established choice” to a brand seen as modern, tech-savvy, and emotionally engaging.
Based on strategic insights, ADGo deployed Integrated Marketing Creativity and Social Buzz Amplification to design an offline pop-up experience integrated with digital engagement. The initiative maps the full consumer journey: Diagnosis → Experience → Recommendation → Social Sharing.
Offline Pop-Up Experience
- Hair Diagnosis Studio AI-powered scalp and hair analysis, offering personalized product sets linked to e-commerce conversion.
- Outdoor Wash & Care Station A salon-style shampoo experience brought outdoors—featuring Kao’s signature textures and soothing scents.
- Hair Styling & Portrait Studio Tailored Japanese-style looks by professional stylists, complete with branded photo sessions.
- Fragrance Diagnosis Zone AI scent-matching quiz + personalized fragrance cards, encouraging social sharing with hashtags like #MyHomeScentIsKao.
Digital Engagement Modules
- Scalp KPI Challenge A playful concept inspired by workplace KPIs. Consumers receive a scalp health score and fragrance match card to share on social media. The format meets Gen Z’s demand for data-driven, ritualized self-care and share-worthy content.
- Scalp Age Tournament A team-based gamification challenge with leaderboards, reinforcing social competitiveness and turning scalp health into an entertaining, sharable experience.
The campaign structure follows the STEPPS model (Social Currency, Triggers, Emotion, Public, Practical Value, Stories), enabling natural virality and brand resonance across channels.
ADGo Execution Process
ADGo helped evolve Kao’s brand image from “safe and reliable” to “smart and refined.”This case highlights ADGo’s ability to drive brand transformation at both the strategic and executional level—whether redefining brand positioning or shaping creative concepts at the product or consumer touchpoint level.By using creative tools to spark cultural resonance, ADGo empowers marketing teams to deliver solutions that are actionable, measurable, and built for impact.
Traditional marketing requires days of coordination.ADGo delivers insights, concepts, and visuals within one hour to accelerate sales strategy.