CASE STUDY: Building engagement by sharing beauty tips

Background
Looking to create excitement around the launch of its new Volum’Express Hypercurl SpikyComb waterproof mascara in Japan, Maybelline New York recognised that its target audience – women in their twenties – were becoming increasingly interested in their own identities. In gathering information on cosmetics and fashion, the group was less inclined to look to models and celebrities than attractive girls on their own level, known as ‘reader models’ (fellow readers of a style magazine). Research showed that the ideals set by the ‘reader models’ were deemed more practical and attainable than those prescribed by mainstream media and stars. It was also clear that the group sourced the majority of its information online or via mobile.

Aim
The resulting online-focused initiative, the Cat Eyes Style Contest, was to use the launch as a platform for deeper engagement with the brand by communicating Maybelline New York’s pledge to ‘make all women beautiful’ to as many of the target audience as possible.

Execution
In order to resonate with the target group, the contest, developed by McCann Erickson Japan and tag Tokyo, featured regular female college students or ‘Cat Eye Girls’ invited to receive a makeover using the product. Five finalists were selected, with the winner decided through an online poll accessible from computer and mobile. Further interest was generated through the use of Hello Kitty as a ‘spokesperson’: the iconic cat wore the mascara as a symbol of the campaign.

A combination of media including fashion magazines, TV commercials, free campus papers, in-store promotions and blogs was used to raise awareness of the event, while excitement was built around the voting through a real time interface showing the contestants’ progress.

In addition to the contest, the site presented a ‘How-to’ for each girl’s eye make-up based on before and after shots. A detailed explanation of the make-up process was given for each to enable users to try the look on themselves. The contest was executed in a two-season structure (the first season dedicated to animal-print looks and the second to resort looks) as a means of providing an array of make-up information. A key feature of the campaign was a selection of viral tools that enabled the target group to share the contest with friends. Prizes attainable in return for voting included limited-edition original Hello Kitty goods and cosmetics sets.

Results
Some 90,000 votes were cast during the 60-day campaign period, and the contest was picked up by various blogs, trade magazines and other media. Furthermore, shipment volume exceeded 400,000 just one month after the product’s launch. In June 2009 the product attained number one market share in the mascara category.

Credits
Client Maybelline New York (Nihon L'Oréal K.K.)　
Project Cat Eyes Style Contest
Agency McCann Erickson Japan
Executive creative director Seiji Shiramizu
Creative director/planner Yasushi Goto
Art director/designer Yu-ki Sakura (Metamosphere Inc. )
Flash/technical director Makoto Matsutake (cellfusion Inc.)
Producers Yuka Nakai
Account executive Tsutomu Suto, Fujiko Shinjo
UM Communication planners Manabu Hasegawa, Kazuki Fujiwara, Kazuhide Kaneko
Duration 29 May – 31 Aug, 2009