Redken's Hairdressing Video Game

Redken Busy Scissors® For WII - Redken - All Rights Reserved

Back in 2010 when Redken's hairdressing video game  Busy Scissors® was unveiled, hair professionals were offered the opportunity to virtually sharpen their professional edge.

Hair consumers were allowed to experience the virtual life of a hairdressers.

The game was created when Redken teamed up with Game Publisher, Little Orbit LLC.

The hairstyling and simulation video game was released on Nintendo Wii™ and DS™ in North America, Europe and Japan.

When it was initially introduced, Busy Scissors® was a hair and beauty industry first.  No other game like it existed before.

Advergaming

Wii Style Hair was a classic example of Advergaming, (a portmanteau of  "advertising" and "gaming") a term coined in January 2000 by Anthony Giallourakis.  It was later mentioned by Wired's "Jargon Watch" column in 2001.

Advergaming is the name given to a company or people who develop a game for the purpose of  integrating advertising into it.

A range of various methods have been used to integrate advertising into video games in order to promote products, organizations or viewpoints.

Redken Busy Scissors - Redken - Scene 2 - All Rights Reserved

The advergames sector reached more than $207 million in 2007 and has continued to grow from there.

Commissioning Video Games To Promote A Product Or Service

Some companies and organizations expressly commission video games to promote their products and/or services.

As the Web grew, so did advergames.  They have continue to grow in popularity.

The games often became the most visited aspect of brand websites.  They also become an integrated part of brand planning in an increasingly fractured media environment.

Advergames Promote Traffic And Reinforce Branding

Advergames were designed to promote visitor traffic to websites and reinforce brands.

Users choosing to register to be eligible for prizes can help marketers collect customer data.

Gamers often invite their friends to participate, which could assist promotion of a game by word of mouth or "viral marketing."

Serious Games

Redken Busy Scissors - Redken - All Rights Reserved

Games for advertising are sometimes classified as a type of serious game, as these games may contain a strong educational or training purpose other than pure entertainment.

Other methods of advertising in video games include product placement which are integrated into in-game environments.

Advergaming is considered a good marketing strategy for many companies because:

• Advergaming is the fastest growing branded entertainment segment climbing at a compound annual growth rate of 51.7% since 2002.
• 46% or more of all adults play electronic games (median age is 36 years old)
• 135+ million teen and adult gamers in the US spend on average 3 - 4 hours per week

Perm, Color, Shampoo, Blow Dry & Style Hair

Redken Busy Scissors - Redken - Scene 2 - All Rights Reserved

Redken’s Busy Scissors®, was classified as a“life simulation” game designed to allow consumers to perm, color, shampoo, cut, blow dry, and style hair!

Players could earn reputation and advance their career in a Hollywood based salon by meeting the demands of their glamorous and eccentric clientele.

The game helped to unlock each client’s inner potential by finding their unique outward style.

Over 25 Hairstyles, 20 Mini-Games & 6 Career Levels

The game featured over 25 hairstyles, 20 mini-games, 6 career levels, and 4 game modes, which provided a dynamic combination of realistic gameplay, humor, and entertainment.

This was a great simulation video game for both professionals and hair consumers who love hair.

It was a great hair styling and simulation video game released by Nintendo Wii in North America, Europe and Japan in October of 2010.

Manifest Oranj Busy Scissors Developer

Manifest Oranj, Busy Scissor  as developer, worked with experts from TONI&GUY Academy to select real hair styles to use in the game.

Redken Busy Scissors - Redken - All Rights Reserved

Each salon technique was demonstrated and filmed by the team, before it was re-created in 3D and designed as a mini-game.

€œ"This game (was) the culmination of a great deal of effort",€ said Bruno Mascolo, owner of TONI&GUY North America.

€œ"I believe that only this unique group of partners could bring together the industry knowledge, casual gaming experience, and real world products necessary to create this unique game.€"

Summary - Redken's Hairdressing Video Game

Although no longer marketed as a new game, Busy Scissors® is still available in used versions via Game Stop Online.

The Busy Scissors® was a revolutionary idea which was the first of its kind in the hair and beauty world.