Pantene Campaign Celebrates Viral Trend of Expired Products

CINCINNATI, Ohio — Pantene is diving into the latest trend in hair care with a campaign embracing the unexpected popularity of expired products. The brand partnered with influencer Earle, who boasts over 11 million followers on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, to promote the effectiveness of an expired bottle of Pantene found in her family’s shower.

The campaign titled “Unexpired Pantene” comes amid a buzz surrounding affordable drugstore hair care items over premium brands, a shift largely driven by social media and current economic challenges. Earle’s organic review of the expired Pantene sparked a movement, encouraging user-generated content that praises the Procter & Gamble brand.

By asserting that if expired Pantene can go viral, its unexpired products should be even better, the brand aims to capture a wider audience. Key to the campaign is a limited-edition collection of Pantene products, offered through a 24-hour sweepstakes that started on April 30 at 11 a.m. ET, coinciding with the time limit of an Instagram story.

Pantene has revamped its website and social channels to promote this initiative, sharing real-time updates and content from Earle and others. To amplify the buzz, Pantene displayed a billboard in Times Square until midnight on April 30, and another at The Oculus until 11 a.m. ET on May 1.

The “Unexpired Pantene” campaign exemplifies how brands can harness organic social media content to connect with digitally native consumers, especially Gen Z and millennials.

The global hair care market is projected to grow significantly over the next few years, with supermarkets and hypermarkets expected to take the largest share, according to Fortune Business Insights. While other hair brands have also launched marketing campaigns recently, P&G reported a slight decrease in overall sales, with unchanged organic sales in hair care, attributed to pricing increases in various regions and a decline in volume primarily in Greater China.