5WPR's hair tools PR work helped epres, a bond repair brand from Olaplex inventor Dr. Eric Pressly, challenge established leaders Olaplex and K18 Hair. Over a three year partnership, the campaign generated 520-plus media placements and 18.7 billion impressions, six industry award wins, and a viral #epres TikTok moment with 12.7 million views, per 5WPR's published epres case study.
How Did epres Challenge an Entrenched Hair Tools Market?
epres challenged an entrenched bond repair market by building its launch narrative around three named differentiators: founder Dr. Eric Pressly's status as the inventor of Olaplex, a patented Biodiffusion technology that delivers moisture after hair dries, and a sustainable, acid-free formula accepted by goop, per 5WPR's published epres case study.
5WPR secured consumer and trade media exclusives and high-profile interviews with Pressly on launch day, then followed with exclusive salon events in New York City and Los Angeles where Pressly treated attendees' hair in front of media, influencers, and beauty industry professionals, per the same case study.
Why it works: A founder who invented the category's existing leading product gives journalists a built-in reason to cover a brand-new company, since the story is about the inventor's next move rather than an unknown startup, per 5WPR's published epres case study.
What Results Did the epres Launch Produce?
The three year epres partnership produced 520-plus media placements and 18.7 billion impressions, with features in Bustle, WWD, Elle, The Zoe Report, StyleCaster, American Salon, Refinery29, Popsugar, and Glossy, per 5WPR's published epres case study. The brand also won six industry awards, including Harper's Bazaar's Beauty Icon Award twice, Beauty Launchpad's Reader's Choice Award, and BeautyMatter Future 50.
A viral TikTok moment under #epres generated 12.7 million views and more than $10,000 in direct sales within the first week of launch, per the same case study.
Why it works: Stacking a trade media exclusive, a consumer media exclusive, and an in-person salon demonstration around the same launch day gives multiple outlet types a reason to cover the same brand in the same week, compounding the launch's total reach, per 5WPR's published epres case study.
How Does epres's Strategy Compare to Wavytalk's?
Wavytalk grew from 2 percent to the number one share of voice inside an existing hair tools subcategory using a celebrity and creator roster, per 5WPR's published Wavytalk case study. epres entered a different subcategory, bond repair treatments, against two specifically named competitors, Olaplex and K18, using founder credibility rather than a celebrity roster as its primary wedge.
Both campaigns prove a challenger can take share in a category with an established leader, but they use different levers: Wavytalk used entertainment and music talent to build reach, while epres used the founder's own invention history to build instant credibility.
What Brands Should Ask Against an Entrenched Leader
Brands entering a category against a named, entrenched leader should ask a PR partner for a specific differentiation mechanism, a founder credential, a patented technology, or a format innovation, rather than general better-product messaging, the way epres led with Pressly's Olaplex history and its Biodiffusion patent.
The full roster of 5WPR's named skincare and haircare work, including epres and Wavytalk, is detailed in 5WPR's skincare and haircare PR case studies. Brands launching a haircare product in a category with an established leader can review 5WPR's skincare, haircare, and nail care practice page directly for team contact information.
