CURL CROWN
Create a busines s where you see a gap
Being a brand architect within the multicultural haircare industry, Dwan White had developed over 200 products and numerous hair product brands for more than a decade – Aunt Jackie’s Curls & Coils was created as a result of Dwan’s personal natural hair journey.
Dissatisfied with products for textured hair that were too expensive or simply didn’t deliver in how they performed (and realising that there were a multitude of new naturals who felt the same way), I used my expertise to research, work with the company’s chemist and create a brand of haircare with ultramoisturising and healthy natural ingredients.
The three main objectives behind the creation of the Aunt Jackie’s brand: develop products with great quality and do everything the label says they do; be aordable, because natural haircare shouldn’t be a financial burden; and empower women to live their best lives without having to worry about whether their hair is holding up.
The first four Aunt Jackie’s products launched in 2012, and almost immediately became fan favourites because of their aordability and how well they helped to make combing, moisturising and styling so much easier.
Stand out fr om the crowd
Aunt Jackie’s goes all out to deliver on doing what the label says. Our products have great-quality ingredients that are ideal for natural care, are very aordable, perform exceptionally well each time they’re used, and each collection has a signature fragrance that leaves your hair smelling great.
Our goal is to partner with our consumer, giving them an amazing experience each time they use our products. We teach you how to embrace your natural texture by feeling good about making the choice, helping you find the right products and providing lots of education on how to use them, so that your haircare becomes eortless.
Our products are of the highest quality, and are perfectly priced. In SA, Clicks understood that the variety of remedies within our brand portfolio addressed a plethora of texture types, and that the price would be very attractive to women who were natural or transitioning. The brand’s success is a result of the perfect balance of great products with good pricing and awesome consumer experiences.
A high level of consumer advocacy has helped to make Aunt Jackie’s a success. Women love sharing their experiences with the brand, and we recognise them for doing so.
The fastest growing brand in its category in the US, and the highestselling hair product in SA, Erika Gardner
Pope tells us how Aunt Jackie’s all began.
Rather late than never
Aunt Jackie’s arrived a bit late to the natural hair products arena in the US. When we launched, the natural hair movement was in full swing and there were already numerous popular brands with very loyal followers. Being a newcomer at the time, it was dicult to cut through the noise and find our place, but brand building is all about time. We had to ‘date’ our consumer before they’d give us try. So we took our time to introduce Aunt Jackie’s through social media, and by being at almost every hair show and big consumer event, giving out tons of free samples and having our brand representatives establish one-onone conversations with ladies about their hair issues. We weren’t trying to sell to them, we genuinely wanted to help. After trying samples and learning more about our brand, before long, people were going into stores asking for Aunt Jackie’s by name.
Team work makes the dream work
Finding the right team is everything. Marketing, as we see it, is all about creating memories and experiences that distinguish our products from others. Our marketing and branding eorts give us a direct connection to our consumers and foster the type of engagement that make our products the ones that people want to purchase.
Every member of our team is also a consumer, so we think about all the things that we expect from brands we love and support, and then think about our consumer and what they expect from the brand.
Success for the futur e
There’s so much more to Aunt Jackie’s that will be revealed this year. We’re constantly proactive in meeting dierent consumers’ needs, so Aunt Jackie’s is evolving. With so much more international distribution, we’re exposing women in other countries to Aunt Jackie’s with our ‘Curls Around the World’ campaign, and we’re hosting many more intimate events and experiences that allow consumers to get to know the faces behind the brand in a more personal way.
We’ve also got exciting new products coming out throughout 2019, we’re going all in with great lifestyle-oriented and educational video content, partnering with other beauty and wellness platforms and influencers to increase brand awareness to an even broader audience within the texture community. Expect to see new ingredient stories and benefits, beautiful packaging, and a variety of new treatments for hair and body, with more specialised products coming soon.
Be strategic
Always remember to be intentional, listen to consumers and be patient. Brand building doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a methodical process that has to be nimble enough to pivot as changes occur. When done right, and consumers begin to advocate for your brand, it’s totally worth it.