Hi. My name is Melissa. If you’re new here – hey!! I’m so glad you’re here today. If you’re not new, heeey! I’m grateful that I get the privilege of being in your ears and eyes. I say ears for those who listen and eyes for those who prefer to read the show notes on our website at https://thedesignbusinessshow.com. Sometimes I prefer to skim show notes instead of listening to a podcast.
I’m going to do something a little bit different on the show this year, for a moment, while I’m into it. And that’s record and publish a few solo episodes in addition to our weekly interviews where I talk about things I’m obsessed with related to business, design, product launches, branding and life. Think current brand + design trends meets my real (business) life.
And today, I’m doing something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, talk to you about all the things I love about Jen Atkin’s brand, OUAI. From both the lens of a consumer and a designer. Quick disclaimer: I’m not an affiliate for this brand. I’m not a hair influencer. I just love OUAI and I think there’s a lot we can learn from it.
About Jen Atkin and her brand, OUAI
I first heard about her when I saw her traveling with Chrissy Tiegen and quickly learned she was her hairstylist. And if you’ve seen an episode on Keeping up with the Kardashians, you might’ve seen her doing Khloe or Kendall’s hair.
Long story short, she’s someone I aspire to be like when I grow up. She’s a talented hairstylist who’s worked with celebrities. She has an educational site for hair stylists she founded called Mane Addicts, which is the authoritative and educational destination with a “cool modern voice” for all things hair, according to their website.
She also has a book I’ve read, twice, called Blowing My Way to the Top, (in reference to blow drying hair). I even bought the suitcase she helped create as a collab with CALPAK. And then there’s her hair product line, OUAI.
Reason #1: The Products Are So Awesome I Spend OUAI too much money on them
I’ve tried 16 of the products. The ones I use the most frequently are the Medium Hair Shampoo and Conditioner, Leave-in Conditioner, Scalp Serum, Dry Shampoo and the Scalp and Body Scrub. And the Wave Spray.
They smell amazing. They helped me eliminate the eczema on my scalp, and my hair is the healthiest it’s ever been. My Indian hair is one of my better features, but it’s fine and thin; and now it’s thicker, a little wavier and I repeat, it’s the healthiest it’s ever been. The products are a little on the pricier side, but I don’t spend a lot of money on stuff, so I consider this one of my treats. And they’re so good I don’t even like to get my hair washed at a salon.
Takeaway:
Create high quality products that solve your clients’ problems and they’ll try over 16 products and spend OUAI too much money with you.
Reason #2: The puns
If you read my headline; it says I’m “OUAI” obsessed with this brand, because OUAI pronounced “way” and means yes, in that casual, Parisian way. And in all of their marketing, there are puns.
Right now, for example, they recently launched their anti-dandruff shampoo and they use clever copy like “Stop Flaking On Your Plans” on their website and “Do More than Drugstore” on their display graphic at Sephora. The press box for this product had a glittery snowflake with a gift tag with the words “Let it Snow” with the word Snow crossed out. So fun.
And they even have a “Paw-some” product called Fur Bébé (spelled bebe but pronounce dBaybay) I bought for my dog. It smells amazing. After we wash my Benji with it he actually smells good instead of a wet dog. And Jen is a huge advocate for adopting shelter dogs, and her Insta bio used to read dog mom. We’ve adopted both of the dogs we had, and I refuse to do it any other way.
There are a ton more puns, you’ll just have to follow them on social media and try some of their products to see their brilliant product descriptions + marketing copy in action.
Takeaway:
Clever copy, genius puns and a clean brand and product design will make your nerdy customers who love puns create an entire podcast episode about them.
Reason #3: Their product landing pages are the BEST
As someone whose specialty is conversion design, I love Ouai’s branding. It’s simple. Clean.
And their product sales pages make me drool. Let’s break down the formula they use for the Fur Bébé shampoo landing page.
1. They use tons of cute photos of dogs. Anyone who is a dog lover will be drawn in.
2. They use copy that reads WASH THIS OUAI, WASH THIS OUAI. In reference to the Aerosmith song, Walk this Way. Now every time I hear that song I’ll think about the doggy shampoo.
3. The add-to-cart button is right at the top of the page, making it easy for me to purchase, with options for payment plans via Klarna.
4. If I’m not sure I want to purchase, I can read the product descriptions, check out the ingredients, read the instructions on how to use it, and/or read reviews. I really love how beauty brands are showing you how to use their products.
5. Then I can look at cute photos of dogs with the “before” and “after” shots. They go from cute and wet to cute and fluffy.
6. An entire section that highlights the scent of the shampoo; and I love most of their scents.
7. Then, they show me related products. One thing I’d love to see in each section or at least a couple times on the page is another buy button.
I’m not exactly sure who their full design team is, but I know they have an in-house team, and I believe they work with CASE Agency. Jen has shared Zoom meetings they’ve been on on her Insta Stories and tagged Tony Yumul, one of the agency founders. I think they’re old friends, but don’t quote me on that.
The takeaway:
Use branding, imagery and clear copy on your landing page that’s specific to your products and speaks to the user. They don’t use a ton of copy. They show me how to use the product. They show me the ingredients, the details, the benefits I need to know.
And they show me cute dogs. As my kids have gotten older, I’ve become a dog person. I might just buy some more even though we haven’t gone through it all yet!
Bonus reason: They don’t use manipulative language
For my friends in the online space, I want to point out that OUAI’s brand voice is pop-culture-y fun. There is no misleading language or language that says if the user doesn’t invest in their dog shampoo that the dog will continue to stink and have bad fur.
The tactic of telling someone they will “fail” if they don’t invest has been a trend in the online space for years, and now I know better.
Recap:
Takeaway #1: Create high quality products that solve your clients’ problems and they’ll try over 16 products and spend OUAI too much money with you.
Takeaway #2: Clever copy, genius puns and a clean brand and product design will make your nerdy customers who love puns create an entire podcast episode about them.
Takeaway #3: Use branding, imagery and clear copy on your landing page that’s specific to your products and speaks to the user. They don’t use a ton of copy. They show me how to use the product. They show me the ingredients, the details, the benefits I need to use.
And don’t be manipulative or try to make people feel bad if they’re not ready to invest.
That’s it! And one thing I’d love to know from you (directly), is do you like these kinds of episodes?
Send me a message and tell me! If you go to Melissaburkheimer.com there’s a red button that says “Send Melissa a DM” and you can message me on Instagram, LinkedIn or you can email me. No one will see your message but me! Talk to you soon and thanks for tuning in!
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