Case study
amika—hair care’s exuberant power player—engaged Antonym to sharpen and codify their tone of voice strategy, overhaul their Sephora visual merchandising messaging, and develop full-funnel strategic concepts for messaging their most visible campaigns.
Kind—and clean—before it was a thing.
The Lexicon
amikaverse, Dazzle, Disco-era Shine, Hairapist, Hairtopia, Gleam, Glossy, Luscious, Quench, Plunge, Spotlight, Supercharge, Whipped
amika has done something exceptional; they’ve taken broad positioning—a friend to all hair—and transformed it into an ownable, zestful experience that makes haircare feel creative, communal, and covetable. Stacked with serious efficacy and a potent commitment to sustainability, their holistic embrace of what it means to be a friend has transformed a simple concept into a bold beauty platform that feels—and does—good from every angle.
The friend to all hair
The challenge
amika’s performance-packed formulations, compassionate energy, and philanthropic principles made them trailblazers at launch. But then, in the haircare industry, kind and clean became the thing. What happens when your point of differentiation becomes table stakes?
amika needed a strategic partner to sharpen their reason to believe and evolve their campaign concepting strategy so they could stay competitive with the results-driven messaging consumers demand in an industry saturated with science-forward storytelling—all without compromising their signature playful tone.
Deliverables
Sephora overhaul
We led amika through a strategic re-messaging of their Sephora visual merchandising experience, elevating what makes them ownable: proven efficacy (and a powerhouse collective of claims), malleable rituals for diverse textures and types, and magnetic optimism.
Campaign concepting
We helped re-envision and restructure amika’s campaign concepting process, delivering leveled-up nuance, sharper strategy, and ownable, conversion-based messaging. While refining this process, we also developed concepts and copy for campaigns including holiday, mirrorball, and some of their most ambitious innovations to date. Deliverables included: concept statements, taglines, headlines, product and set names, and custom lexicons—plus social, web, and visual merchandising copy.
Over the course of our engagement with amika, it went from the 12th-ranked haircare brand at Sephora to number 1.
The Antonym effect
“Working with Antonym is equal parts educational and rewarding. They delivered work in an efficient, timely manner, and offered a surplus of options that sparked further inspiration. From shelf strips and product naming to full-funnel campaign messaging, Antonym delivered copy with a creative edge while honing in on amika’s fun and friendly tone of voice. If that’s not enough, the Antonym team is an absolute joy to work with and always brings an exuberant energy to every meeting and project!”
Mary Nunes, Head of Copy