Avon is a direct-sales brand that typically relies on representatives to sell its makeup products. Reaching a young demographic was challenging because digital natives prefer to make purchases online. Avon worked with four beauty influencers to create an eight-hour makeup tutorial which was shared on YouTube. The video content was synced with time-sensitive sales on the Avon ecommerce site. This mobile-first approach resonated with the target audience, and sales grew.
Objective and Context:
Avon is the No. 1 makeup brand in Brazil. Its line of mascaras called Big features four main products, each with a different benefit. The line is designed to appeal to a young target, with neon packaging and a fun brand voice. However, because Avon is a consolidated direct sales brand, it can be hard to connect with a young audience. Young people often prefer to buy makeup online and do not always like working with Avon representatives.
The main goal of the campaign was to sell mascara, so Avon had to find a way to talk to a young target. Mobile is the best way to connect with young women. KPIs were measured through YouTube, Google Analytics 360, and Avon's ecommerce sales report.
Target Audience:
The target audience consisted of 18- to 24-year-old women from across Brazil who use makeup. This group predominantly shops for makeup and cosmetics online. On average, these consumers spend over nine hours a day connected to their devices, and 55 percent of them connect exclusively on a smartphone. This audience goes to YouTube for makeup hacks, before-and-after content, and beauty tips. Tutorials produced by beauty influencers are one of the most watched content types.
Creative Strategy:
The creative strategy brought together content, entertainment, and influencers. Avon developed an eight-hour make up tutorial with four of Brazil’s biggest beauty influencers:
The strategy had two goals. First, Avon wanted to engage its target audience. The second goal was to increase site visits and ecommerce sales.
Overall Campaign Execution:
On the day before Consumer's Day, a holiday to observe the rights of consumers and is often a big day for sales for many brands, Avon ran an eight-hour marathon of makeup tutorials with four online influencers. The campaign was designed to amplify Avon's content and bring people to the ecommerce site.
The campaign was launched on YouTube Premiere, a new format that allows viewers to watch a video in real time. At every hour, one of the influencers would do a full makeup tutorial with a specific Avon kit. During that hour only, anyone who was watching could find all the featured products in Avon's online store at a discount. Customers were incentivized to continue watching the tutorials so they could secure the exclusive discounts. Once that hour and that tutorial were over, so were the offers. The experience was seamless, and the viewer did not have to stop watching the video to make purchases.
The eight hours of content were repurposed as 45 digital assets for Instagram and Facebook. They helped Avon share its message for an entire month. This reduced costs.
Mobile Execution:
Avon had just two days to film and one week prepare to air the eight-hour tutorial. The content needed to be engaging and informative enough to keep viewers watching, and it needed to boost ecommerce sales. Each influencer worked with a unique makeup kit so she could show off different products. Plus, the content included fun challenges where the influencers would do yoga poses or balance objects on their heads.
The video debuted in real time on YouTube Premiere, which doesn't allow viewers to fast-forward the content. During the eight hours, the video was promoted in banner ads. By clicking on the banners, people could go to YouTube or to Avon's online store. The media budget was US$40,000.
For eight hours thousands of people binge-watched the tutorial. Over 567,250 mascaras were sold. Avon saw 300 percent growth on its online store. While the program didn't have a large budget, Avon was able to execute an innovative idea that was perfectly designed for the target audience.
