Discovering the Strategy Behind Olaplex's Response to TikTok Dupe Culture
How a brand made themselves undupable! Olaplex has duped the dupers with their latest product ‘Oladupé’. The brand used social listening to identify that 30.4 million people are searching for good Olaplex dupes on TikTok alone and so they launched their own dupe campaign.
CMO Charlotte Watson of Olaplex has shared insights into the marketing tactics employed by the popular hair care brand to address the trend of "dupes" on TikTok. The pursuit of more affordable alternatives to high-end products is not new, but TikTok has witnessed a surge in the popularity of these "dupes," requiring marketers to reinforce their value proposition. For Olaplex, one of TikTok's most frequently duplicated hair care brands, the approach was to emphasize that the only true dupe for Olaplex is Olaplex itself.
On September 25, Olaplex, with the collaboration of over 100 influencers, both earned and paid, launched an unboxing campaign for a fictitious product, Oladupé. This product, essentially a repackaged Olaplex No. 3 bottle, aimed to playfully highlight how often Olaplex is imitated on TikTok, with the hashtag #Olaplexdupe garnering over 30 million views. Simultaneously, it served as an educational tool for TikTok users, showcasing the quality of Olaplex products. Just days after the campaign launch, the hashtag #Oladupe had already accumulated over 5.5 million views.
Charlotte Watson, Olaplex CMO, remarked, "Imitation is the highest form of flattery, and we wanted to use this imitation and discussions about dupes to have fun with the fact that while you can imitate us, you can't replicate us."
Influencers selected for this campaign were chosen to reach both hair care professionals and consumers globally. Notable participants included Lelani Green, Yesly Dimate, Shae Alexis, and Audrey Boos. To strengthen the dupe concept, Olaplex also enlisted celebrity "duper" Taylor Madison, who bears a striking resemblance to Kylie Jenner.
Olaplex is a premium brand, with its No. 3 product priced at $30, available both online and in stores like Sephora and Ulta. In August, the brand reported a 48% decrease in net sales, primarily due to a 61% drop in sales for its professional channel. The company's CEO and president, JuE Wong, emphasized the need to stabilize demand trends while increasing marketing investment in the latter part of the year.
The product unveiling, through creator videos, portrayed Oladupé as the best alternative to the genuine product. The packaging closely resembled Olaplex's actual product but bore the label Oladupé No. 160, a nod to the company's 160 patents. Viewers were then directed to a microsite, where the first 160 visitors could claim a free bottle of Oladupé, which, in reality, was Olaplex No. 3. Watson noted that consumer responses varied, and all free Oladupé bottles were claimed within two hours.
Watson said, "People bought into this dupe because there are so many other dupes out there. We saw conversations happening, with people calling out Olaplex, but it was also great to see others defending us and saying, 'You can't dupe Olaplex.'"
A few days later, Olaplex revealed the truth about the faux product through influencer content and a video shared on the brand's Instagram and TikTok. Notably, the post featured a deepfake version of JuE Wong, emphasizing that no one can replicate the brand's patents, ingredients, or bond-building technology. This marketing stunt was executed in collaboration with the agency Movers+Shakers, marking their first joint effort.
By the end of October 4, the Oladupé campaign had achieved 20.1 million impressions and 24 million views of the hashtag #Oladupe. The campaign was initially designed for the U.S. but was also replicated and shared in the U.K., Canada, Australia, and France, signifying a significant milestone for the brand.
Incorporating social listening, Olaplex's latest campaign aligns with its identity as a socially native brand. Watson highlighted that Olaplex started on Facebook, communicating with stylists via online forums to shape its strategy. Over time, much of this community has migrated to TikTok, where the brand now has over 334 million followers.
Watson emphasized that their social landscape plays a vital role in how they approach the market. They stay close to the community, engaging in social listening to understand trends and insights on different platforms.
Additionally, this focus on social listening has allowed the brand to tap into authentic conversations and organic trends. For instance, they noticed the trending hashtag #Olaplexbun on TikTok, where consumers shared their Olaplex-supported bun updos. This inspired their own hashtag challenge, #Olaflex, resulting in over 3 billion views within 72 hours of its launch.
TikTok is becoming increasingly important for Olaplex due to its popularity in sharing hair-related content, with hashtags like #hairtok amassing over 86 billion views. Watson underlined the significance of connecting with a younger user base on TikTok, as their influence on beauty trends and spending power is growing.
To continue engaging with the community, Olaplex plans to extend its Oladupé campaign with more influencer activations and content that reinforces the uniqueness of the brand. Watson said, "We identify trends and conversations on the platform that involve our brand and build upon them to shape the narrative and have fun.
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