Campaign Summary

Maybelline New York launched a new lipstick in China with a live stream on the mobile purchase platform Taobao.

Strategy

Objective and Context:

Maybelline New York faces the same challenge as many other brands: building an authentic connection with young women that drives sales. In China, many brands try to show women of generation X that they understand by using gimmicks, trends, or celebrity partnerships. For the launch of its new lipstick, Lip Flush Oil, Maybelline New York went beyond its typical new product launch by creating an experience for customers that gave them what they wanted when they wanted it.

Target Audience:

The target audience of the campaign was generation X women in China.

Creative Strategy:

Many Chinese gen X women have no siblings and long to stay connected to their friends, culture, and current events. Similar to their counterparts in other regions, they have short attention spans. Maybelline wanted to provide a riveting, immediate experience that would spark interest in the new lipstick.

Execution

Overall Campaign Execution:

This campaign was 100 percent mobile.

Mobile Execution:

Live-streaming apps gained popularity in the spring of 2016. Among them were Meipai, Nice, and Panda TV, which each have more than 10 million daily active users. But many brands began using them with negative results. Maybelline’s marketing team decided to take live-streaming off of niche apps by using the leading mobile purchase platform, Taobao. Using this app allowed Maybelline to shorten the purchase journey during the launch from weeks to a single click. By live-streaming the launch event directly on Taobao, fans could become an integral, engaged element of the launch event.

As young women watched Maybelline announce its newest spokesperson, Angelbaby, and saw her putting on the new lipstick, they left comments like, “Her lipstick is so pretty,” and “I want that color.” This generated excitement around the lipstick. During the live stream, viewers were able to add the product to their shopping carts with one click on their screens. Additionally, anyone searching for Maybelline on Taobao during the event would be shown a pop-up window of the live stream.

Across the live-streaming platforms, 50 key influencers were invited to live-stream to their fans during the launch event as well. These influencers provided different angles and stories to the launch.

Results (including context, evaluation, and market impact)

• Close to six million people watched the live event.
• Maybelline sold 10,600 Lip Flush Oil lipsticks, breaking its lip product sales record on Taobao at 10 times the daily average.
• For the first time, Maybelline was able to adapt its creative and media investment with insights generated directly from the event.
• Instant feedback showed that P03 Cherry Pink, C01 Coral Orange, and R01 Cherry Blossom Red were the three most popular shades, and Maybelline adjusted its strategy accordingly.
• A process that would usually take weeks was achieved in less than one day.
• During the live event, Maybelline’s online store visits increased 50 percent.
• This was the first time a brand combined a live stream with e-commerce for a launch event.