New role for Siti

By S.S. YOGA

Siti Nurhaliza wearing the pendant given to her by Pantene to mark her appointment as the new ambassador for the Pantene Pro-V range.

MALAYSIAN supermodel Ling Tan and personalities like Maya Karin, Carmen Soo, Camelia and Waheeda are practically household names and some are internationally recognised as well.

Apart from being beautiful women, they all have something else in common. They all endorsed or did ads for Pantene.

Now another star, one always in the news especially in recent times, joins the line-up. It’s none other than our pop princess Siti Nurhaliza who is going through the akad nikah (the solemnisation of marriage) today with her chosen one, Datuk Khalid Mohamad Jiwa.

Besides her melodious voice and beauty, her long flowing, silky hair has always been her trademark. This writer asked Pantene assistant country marketing manager Tan Hui Woon why Siti was chosen only now when she was an obvious choice for the Pantene Pro-V range.

“She constitutes all that we are looking for to represent the brand – besides her obvious talent and beauty – it’s her success and independence. It was just a matter of timing; everything just fell into place,” explained Tan.

Siti said that while she was not a regular Pantene customer initially, she has tried it out since and it works very well for her.

Tan Hui Woon: ‘(Siti) constitutes all that we are looking for to represent the brand.’
“In my line of work, my hair is a problem as it is very fine. The use of hair-sprays and what-not tends to damage the hair. So I’m very careful with how I take care of my hair and this range is perfect for me as they also have conditioners and other products that cater to my special needs,” she informed the packed room of journalists in Kuala Lumpur where the launch was held.

Siti said she was happy that she doesn’t have to worry about her hair especially since her “shining” moment was coming soon and she needn’t be stressed about having a bad hair day.

“I normally have hair treatments once a week but with my busy schedule, I don’t really have time to go to the salons, so I do it at home. During my primary school days, all I used on my hair was freshly squeezed santan (coconut milk) as it was supposed to be cooling and help thicken the hair,” she added with a laugh.

In an exclusive interview with The Star, Siti said that when “you are happy with your hair it gives you even more confidence to face anything or anyone.”

She said she cut her hair short in the year 2000 (though it was also short when she was younger and active in sports) but since then, she has kept it long. And she also revealed that Datuk K liked her with long hair.

Tan hopes that with the re-branding through the Shine campaign and the appointment of Siti as the Pantene Pro-V ambassador, the brand will be the number one shampoo range in Malaysia. Currently, Pantene is the number one shampoo and conditioner in the world.

Siti has also been given the distinction of not only being the brand ambassador for Malaysia but Indonesia, too. She is the only one representing two countries; Tan pointed out that Siti has a huge fan base in the neighbouring country.

In Asia, there are three other new faces connected with the label. A source revealed that a former Miss Universe might be among them. The other two are celebrities.

Siti Nurhaliza’s luxurious locks plus other admirable qualities make her a suitable ambassador.
The first TV commercial that will be aired follows the same concept as the one in the United States, Europe (by the way, do you know they pronounce the name as “Pan-ten” there?), Australia and New Zealand but Tan explained that it has been tweaked a little to reflect local conditions.

The interesting thing is that the ads for the Asian countries were all shot in Malaysia between the end of April and early May.

Tan revealed that Siti was a joy to work with as she was professional yet approachable.

So, what is this re-branding exercise all about and why so soon after the Pro-V range was launched here in September 2004?

Tan said that it is a fast-moving consumer brand and hence one needs to change with the times. The most obvious change is the new packaging and new logo.

It looks like three spirals and is a representation of the “Shirra”, a North-African wind that expresses the strength, wisdom and grace of a woman. The packaging is still white as it denotes cleanliness.

“Instead of just selling a shampoo, we are giving the consumers a philosophy, a beauty product that gives women the confidence to bring out their potential and be the best that they can be,” concluded Tan.