11 July 2017
W’s landmark digital and social campaign for Yves Saint Laurent Beauty, #YSLEyeStyle, bravely bypassed beauty media to connect directly with consumers and delivered a remarkable double-digit sales uplift of Faux Cils and Lash Wardrobe products, with zero above-the-line spend. It set a new standard for the category, and was hailed by London Beauty Review as “by far the most personal and interactive activity we’ve seen from a luxury brand”.
With zero paid media support, and minimal assets to draw on, we set out to create a best-in-class digital and social platform to boost sales and recapture market share for YSL. It had to excite existing fans, make waves in the beauty world, burnish YSL’s reputation as an innovator, and reaffirm the brand’s relevance – all while driving customers to counter.
We built an online beauty hub where users could explore the latest tips and techniques. They could watch and interact with a series of 15 masterclasses fronted by Fred Letailleur – the YSL make-up artist who created the distinctive look for brand “face” Cara Delevingne’s eyes. They could book an in-store consultation, order samples, and upload their own made-up eyes using a special letterbox-format webcam to participate in a dynamic, scrollable, online gallery, with prizes for the most striking looks.
The competition culminated in one winner becoming the “eyes” of the brand for a week across YSL’s digital properties. The upload mechanic was designed so that contributors showed us their eyes only, rather than full face shots – reinforcing our campaign message that everybody’s eyes are beautiful, and have the potential to look even better with YSL beauty products.
Amplified through W’s lifestyle blogger and influencer network, as well as a specially negotiated media partnership with Grazia Daily, #YSLEyestyle content recorded more than 300,000 direct interactions, and 8 million Twitter impressions.