Video
Garnier Teams Up with Love Island Star to Pitch Styling Mousse to Younger Generation via 'Mousse vs Moose' Pun
Garnier partners with Love Island star TJ Palma, using a creative pun where 'moose' is mistaken for 'mousse,' to generate buzz through social media and offline events, promoting its curl styling mousse targeted at the younger generation.
Quick Look
- L'Oreal-owned brand Garnier is partnering with Love Island star TJ Palma for a new campaign promoting its Fructis Curl Construct Creation Mousse, according to information obtained by Marketing Dive.
- The campaign centers on Palma being fictitiously appointed as Garnier's new social media marketing consultant, but he mishears "mousse" as "moose," leading him to plan a moose-themed marketing effort. Garnier teased the mix-up on Instagram Wednesday with a caption-less image of a moose.
- Garnier will continue to generate organic buzz through online and offline activations, including paparazzi-style street shots of Palma in a moose costume and videos mimicking The Office style. Full campaign elements will begin rolling out in mid-May.
Deep Dive
Garnier is leveraging wordplay and social buzz to introduce its repackaged mousse product to younger consumers. The strategy of creating confusing moments to spark consumer curiosity online, then following up with brand content, has been used by companies like CeraVe and Raisin Bran. When executed well, this tactic has proven to be an effective way to generate organic buzz and blur the lines between entertainment and marketing.
The campaign's protagonist, Palma, is a former Love Island contestant who gained attention for his curly hair care routine. A video released Thursday, mimicking The Office style, documents Palma being appointed as Garnier's social media marketing consultant, tasked with developing a promotional campaign for the brand's mousse. Palma misunderstands the assignment and devotes all his energy to a moose campaign, but ultimately saves the day with a "get ready with me" video showing how he uses Garnier products.
To build suspense, Garnier posted a caption-less photo of a moose on Instagram earlier this week, while also putting up flyers in New York City asking residents if they had seen the moose. The next day, Garnier arranged paparazzi-style street shots of Palma in a moose costume around New York City.
The campaign also plans more activations on Friday, including guerrilla-style sampling in Lower Manhattan, handing out full-size products. Garnier's "moose"-themed organic and paid creator content in New York will continue through May 17. Influencers involved include Mia Calabrese from the reality show Summer House and content creator Just Jazzy.
Focusing on social media helps Garnier resonate with digital-native Gen Z, and the partnership with Palma integrates the brand into pop culture. From P&G's Herbal Essences to McDonald's and Mars Petcare's Temptations brand, there have been recent similar cases of collaborations with Love Island cast members.
Garnier's push comes as the U.S. hair care market is projected to grow from $20.98 billion this year to $25.9 billion by 2031, according to market research firm Mordor Intelligence. Last year, mass-market products held a 78.1% share of the hair care market. As consumers face economic uncertainty and rising prices, interest in more affordable hair care products may increase. The Garnier Fructis Curl Construct Creation Mousse retails for $5.99.
Garnier parent L'Oreal reported first-quarter 2026 revenue of 12.15 billion euros (approximately $14.2 billion), up 3.6% year-over-year. The company said hair care and fragrance were the main growth drivers.