Expert Speak: Godrej Pro Destination Masterclass
Godrej over the years has collected many superlatives for it’s various leading brands. The two-year-old, Godrej Professional is its attempt to perhaps find the ‘Most Admired’ position in the professional salon business.
In the May 2019 issue of Beauty Launchpad, the brand’s technical ambassadors shared their experiences and plans as we caught up with them at the first-ever Destination Masterclass by Godrej Pro (GP) held in Goa. Here are some insightful excerpts from the conversation.
The Masterclass was conducted by the education and technical ambassadors of Godrej Professional – Asha Hariharan, Ryan D’Rozario, and Sylvia Chen. 100 participants from different parts of India like Delhi, Mumbai, Punjab, Gujarat, Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad, spent one day with each of the three ambassadors who demonstrated two trending haircuts each. Sunil Kataria – CEO – India and SAARC, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd, described this activity as a part of “the vision of Godrej Professional to transform Indian salons.”
What’s the destination masterclass all about?
Sunil: “We recognize that transformation comes from education. We are committed to providing skill building education for the Indian salon industry which will not only develop their skills but also enhance their livelihood opportunities. The 3-day Masterclass organized in Goa with industry’s top veterans is just the beginning as Godrej Professional plans to undertake more such initiatives in coming days.”
Ryan: We are working on skill sets of the participants at the workshops here. We are doing tips and tricks that they can incorporate in their existing portfolio. Besides, we also Indianised the global trends – how they can fit in with Indian traditional clothing, etc.
Tell us more about Godrej Pro Hair Colours.
Asha: A colourist is an artist first & foremost. It’s very difficult when you want to put education into art. So, we decided to create a colour company that has no rules. At Godrej Pro, we said – let’s create something whereby the colourist has all the freedom in the world. Essentially, these colours are quite versatile. Development time is only 30 mins, vis a vis 40 – 45 minutes for other brands.
Ryan: Our tube is larger and cheaper – cheaper because the company can afford it, as its R&D and manufacturing are done in India. They kept redeveloping until they got it right.
Sylvia: Godrej Professional was launched in July 2017, and we have been with it right from its conception stage, the R&Ds, etc. They wanted to make sure that at every stage, whether it was ammonia-free or the choice of colours, they would consider our advice seriously. In fact, they went one step ahead and took complete information about our challenges as salon owners and hairdressers.
Godrej had this huge equity in colour which was seen as ‘hair dye’. Do you think that’s changing or is it still a hurdle?
Godrej Spokesperson: Our consumer colours are sold in modern trade and we don’t have a dye. Godrej Expert is creme-based hair colour – the perception that it is dye is due to the legacy of Godrej. No one knows we also have BBlunt or Godrej Pro. This is our first attempt to go B2B. We are already leaders in at-home hair colour and have consumer trust. Data from consumer studies show professionals and consumers are trusting Godrej Professional as their go-to colour.
Editorial Styling & Indian Hairdressers – What are the prerequisites?
Asha: Study fashion. If you have a good sense of fashion, I can give you 10 colours and you will give me a story behind each one. High-end hairdressers are evolved artists – they learn from travel and have opinions.
Education 2010?
Godrej technicians are well on their way to be the best in India. They know the difference between adding just a touch of colour and completely changing everything. With the 21 colours available now, we have created everything from mahoganies to maroons, pinks and violets at our multiple shows, so far – that shows the power of calculation our technicians possess.
As of now, we want to personalize education as different salons have different needs. Our focus is to reach out to as many salons and hairdressers across the country. Bringing education to one platform for all is the need of the hour. We are focussed on the 80% of Indian hairdressers who do not have a formal education – so, we are reaching out to A, A-, and B+ whose business can be completely changed with proper education.
Read the full story in Beauty Launchpad’s May issue.
