Redken is sponsoring a new salon simulation called Busy Scissors.

NOV. 5, 2010 • Redken Labs has a prominent sponsored console game project aimed at attracting young women to its brand. The firm sells its beauty products only through professional salons, and none of its competitors has ventured into gaming yet as a marketing vehicle. Redken worked with developer Little Orbit to create Busy Scissors for the Wii and Nintendo DS. The $19.99 title is a realistic hairstyling and simulation game aimed at the 8 to 16 year-old girls that Nintendo says are the biggest users of its own life-simulation games.

Impact: With Busy Scissors, Redken is taking product placement to the next level.  The game is not just showing Redken products in the background, they are featured front and center as core part of gameplay.  It is surprising that more consumer product companies have not looked at doing this type of detailed promotion where they actually control development of a high-end game. Most companies looking to develop advergames have focused on simple Flash-based PC games that are simply distributed on their corporate web site. Busy Scissors is a full-on retail product that has the potential to pay for itself through consumer sales.