| Winner | Zuru Group |
| Marketing initiative | Being haircare: for being you |
| Marketing partners | Zuru Group Teams, Utendahl USA, Seen Group USA, Black & White Communications UK, Numerator Advisory Board: Akili King, Alyx Liu, Sky Kim, Emily Flores |
| Finalist | Vitaco Health |
| Judges’ comments | “Strong insights supported global expansion. They clearly understand Gen Z and know how to make products that appeal to this segment. Judges particularly appreciated the impact of the product design, the smart use of the advisory board, cultural partnership and the disciplined focus on driving sales.” |
It’s all about being yourself
After spotting significant gaps in the market, Zuru set out to create a haircare brand designed to cater for all types.
Zuru Group’s overarching mission has always been to disrupt stagnant categories with new challenger brands. The company noticed that while haircare has long claimed to be inclusive, this was rarely built into the products. Most people don’t know what their hair type is and most haircare products don’t actually work for their hair.
This presented an opportunity for Zuru to create something new: a haircare brand for everyone, with trichologist-developed formulas for each hair type. All on one shelf at one accessible price point.
Part of identity
The brief was led by three insights. Firstly, Gen Z is rewriting beauty. Rather than chasing one ideal, they want to be more ‘themselves’. Haircare has shifted from a routine to part of their identity.
Secondly, Zuru found the whole market was underserved, not just one hair type. Frustration was rife with people struggling to find the products they needed. The category had fragmented.
This led to the third insight: credible formulations had become premium products. Having trichologist-developed haircare available to everyone was a gap no one had yet closed.
Genuine inclusivity
To seize that space, Zuru created being: for being you, a haircare brand rooted in real inclusion. The aim was to own inclusivity without being performative, while building trust with sceptical Gen Z.
The team prioritised community engagement, building an advisory board of experts with lived experience, and grounding every claim in product formulation rather than marketing speak. To earn trust at speed, they also partnered with trusted category leaders and content creators, secured distribution with credible retail partners and let real consumers drive the narrative.
Every investment, partnership and activation was built around showing up for communities where mass haircare has historically ignored – being’s Pride campaign was one example.
And while Gen Z discovered being on TikTok, the key moment of conversion was in store. Bold, colour-coded packaging acted as its billboard, while clear education helped shoppers find their formula.
“Being was designed to win the shopper at the aisle. The shelf is not just distribution. It is the final act of the brand experience,” says Zuru.
The strategy worked. In just under two years, being secured distribution in many markets with multiple retail partners and saw significant year-on-year growth. It also won six beauty awards and the Superdrug Haircare Launch of the Year award.
This story comes from NZ Marketing magazine issue 88, Sept-Nov 2026. Why not subscribe? Get four issues a year for just $50 (including delivery) if you autorenew.
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