LOS ANGELES—On a sunny Saturday in LA, The Grove became a colorful playground for beauty lovers as Sally Beauty debuted COLORfest, a one-day, open-to-the-public pop-up designed to celebrate self-expression through hair and nail color.
Held March 14 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., the immersive, festival-style experience drew more than 3,000 attendees throughout the day, transforming the outdoor shopping destination into a high-energy hub of product discovery, personalization, and hands-on experimentation.
Photo: Bella Camerino
The event marked the in-person extension of Sally Beauty’s broader COLORfest campaign, which chief marketing officer Chris Kobus described as “Sally Beauty’s month-long celebration of color designed to drive product education, discovery, and accessibility.”
“The goal was to create an ownable moment for Sally Beauty that reinforces our leadership in hair color and nails while bringing our expertise to life in an immersive and interactive way,” explained Kobus. “The pop-up experience served as the campaign’s in-person extension to engage with consumers directly through personalized color analysis, expert consultations, live demos, and hands-on product discovery.”
Photo: Bella Camerino
Timing also played a strategic role. “Sally Beauty launched COLORfest in March, intentionally timed for when the beauty landscape is especially crowded,” he added. “Rather than blend into the noise, we’re giving consumers a fresh, inspiring reason to choose Sally Beauty through a curated mix of seasonal shades and expert-backed selections across our leading color categories.”
The choice of Los Angeles—and The Grove specifically—was equally deliberate. “We chose to pop up in LA because it is synonymous with creativity, individuality, and trend acceleration,” said Kobus. “Launching at The Grove allowed us to meet consumers where they are, by intersecting with high foot traffic, diverse audiences, and cultural relevance.”
Photo: Bella Camerino
The layout encouraged exploration rather than a linear journey. “The outdoor, festival-style format made the experience feel open, dynamic, and discovery-driven,” Kobus explained. “It allowed guests to explore at their own pace, interact with Sally Experts, discover new products, and fully immerse themselves in the world of color in a way that feels more experiential than traditional retail.”
Across the footprint, the experience was anchored in personalization, with a strong focus on education and confidence-building. One of the most popular activations was the personalized color analysis station, where guests were guided through a process designed to identify their ideal tones. “Offering a personalized color analysis was a core part of the consumer experience that guests were highly engaged with,” said Kobus. “Professional color analysts tested 12 different seasonal color themes to determine each guest’s perfect match and complimentary tone.”
Photo: Bella Camerino
From there, attendees received “tailored guidance from Sally Experts to help guests determine the best hair color and nail shades with an interactive color wall featuring over 160 swatches of products all available at Sally Beauty,” he said. “This experience combined Sally Beauty’s professional-quality products with accessible education, giving consumers the confidence to achieve their beauty journey, no salon required.”
Elsewhere, the Glam Bar offered a more playful, hands-on entry point into experimentation. Guests could try temporary transformations using Eva NYC glitter spray, hair tinsel, and Strawberry Leopard color services.
Photo: Bella Camerino
The physical environment played a key role in reinforcing that message. A bold, graphic visual identity anchored by Sally Beauty’s signature red carried throughout the space, from oversized branded walls to product displays and a rainbow-hued arched entryway that doubled as a photo moment.
“COLORfest was thoughtfully designed as a fully immersive, hands-on experience that brought color, creativity, and self-expression to life through product discovery, personalization, and education touchpoints across hair color, hair care, and nails.”
“Social shareability and content creation were central to how COLORfest was designed,” said Kobus. “Color was at the heart of the experience, with our signature Sally Beauty red setting the tone and vibrant complementary hues brought to life through branded photo walls, the arched entranceway and product displays that made every corner feel camera-ready.”
Photo: Bella Camerino
Interactive elements were intentionally designed to translate into content. “Moments like the prize wheel, color analysis station, and Glam Bar gave guests fun, hands-on experiences that naturally translated into social content as well,” he added. “That bold, COLORfest look clipped into Sally Beauty’s month-long campaign.”
Importantly, the experience extended beyond the event itself. Guests left with curated product assortments valued at $100, along with exclusive offers designed to drive continued engagement.
Photo: Bella Camerino
Sally Beauty evaluated success through multiple lenses. “We welcomed over 3,000 guests throughout the one-day pop-up, making COLORfest one of our most highly attended single-day events to date,” said Kobus. “Beyond attendance was the quality of guests that registered to enter the experience. 84% of registrants were new-to-file customers, furthering our goal to reach new customers and build long term brand equity through the COLORfest event.”
He added that the impact carried into digital and retail channels. “We also saw strong engagement across our owned social channels along with a lift in store sales and traffic across Los Angeles–area Sally Beauty locations following the event. Together, these results reinforce COLORfest as a successful, high-impact event that we are excited to continue.”
The event was produced in partnership with experiential agency 3CS, with PR support from CMM, and featured a range of participating brands across hair color, hair care, and nails, including Arctic Fox, Good Dye Young, ion, Iroiro, Manic Panic, Strawberry Leopard, Wella, ASP, Beauty Secrets, Dashing Diva, Nailboo, Biotera, bondbar, and Eva NYC.
