Rocking their style inspires college students.

At the end of 2008, Garnier Fructis came to AMP Agency with a problem: they were losing share in the college market. As competitors focused on this demographic more than ever, affinity for the Garnier brand among college students was slipping.

AMP's job was to drive trial, increase awareness and purchase intent, and to recruit the next generation of Garnier customers on college campuses. In short, we needed to put the brand in the spotlight. And that meant an integrated effort to conceive, implement and promote a buzz-worthy, memorable experience that would leave a truly lasting impression.

AMP Research's extensive knowledge of the target led to our core insight: college students use self-expression to form their identity and seek out opportunities to create memories with friends.

So our strategy focused on appealing to students' sense of individuality and fun by letting them engage with the Garnier Fructis brand in exciting, relevant, surprising ways. That strategy – and Garnier's partnership with the über-popular American Idol – inspired Sing in the Shower, a 12-campus event challenging students to "rock their style" in an Idol-esque karaoke contest.

To build Sing in the Shower buzz, AMP PR reached out to college newspapers, radio, TV stations and college-affiliated websites and influencers. And as the tour drew closer, the Fructis Green Team surprised students by making over dorm bathrooms with Garnier product and branded giveaways including towels, shower caddies, mirror clings, flip-flops and shower radios.

At the event, students gave their hair the star treatment with makeovers from Garnier pro stylists before letting their talent shine on the "shower" stage. Thousands had a blast at the events, with one talented student from each campus singing all the way to a $500 prize and a shot at the Grand Prize of $5,000 and a trip to the American Idol finale.

To find the Grand Prize winner, AMP PR developed an individualized social media strategy. Videos of the top performance were uploaded to Garnier's site. Winners were then encouraged to generate buzz – and votes – for themselves by creating Facebook groups, posting updates and campaigning throughout their entire network of friends, family and classmates.

Nearly 1,000 students rocked the Sing in the Shower stage, more than 1,700 received style makeovers and over 60,000 samples were handed out. And the on-campus success was just the beginning. The social media push garnered 250,000 facebook hits and an amazing 70,000,000+ media impressions. For a brand that was dropping in the college charts, those are some seriously rockin' results.