Maybelline New York’s “Only icons”

Welcome to the AdMiration newsletter! Each week we analyze new and noteworthy ads from brands around the world to give you our 3-2-1 snapshot of the ad (3 facts, 2 learnings and 1 reflection).

This week’s ad: “Only icons”???

Maybelline’s “Only icons” campaign, which takes the form of a fictional documentary trailer, debuted during the Emmy awards this year and aims to reconnect with loyal users while capturing the attention of a younger audience.

The focus of the campaign is less on the concealer’s practical benefits and more on its iconic status in cosmetics history. Through testimonials from fashion and beauty legends RuPaul, Naomi Campbell and Gigi Hadid, “Only icons” reaffirms the product’s legacy and positions it as a timeless staple.

The ad opens to on-screen text that reads “A Maybelline film” as the scene expands to show Naomi Campbell, interview-style, saying, “If I say she’s an icon, she’s an icon.”???

A montage of scenes showcasing other fashion and beauty celebrities plays, such as Gigi Hadid on a talk show stating, “She’s major” and RuPaul in the back of a cab saying, “It takes an icon to know an icon.”?

“Maybelline presents: History’s greatest cover-up” appears on screen. Intro scenes play out as the greatest cover up is revealed: Maybelline New York’s Instant Eraser Concealer. The concealer is then shown at a photoshoot, on a billboard, atop cab ad stands and more, with pull quotes like “Never skips a beat” and “No creases, just icons” flashing across the screen.???

The ad closes with a shot of the product with the words “Maybelline New York Instant Eraser Concealer” surrounding it.?

3 facts

• Maybelline New York’s “Only Icon’s” is an iconic performer, scoring in the top 1% of US ads in potential to drive short-term sales and top 5% in driving brand equity among women under 45. The ad’s strength shines through among all women, with short-term potential in the top 10% of ads and building equity in the top third of US ads.??

• The storyline keeps viewers’ attention with nearly 94% of women watching the full ad — a testament to the ad’s distinctiveness.
• Viewers like the storyline and the celebrities. They feel “love” when Maybelline’s eraser stick is revealed, when the message “no creases, just icons” appears and when Gigi and Naomi are applying the product. These, among other factors, contribute to a strong pre-post purchase shift.

2 learnings

• When done correctly, portraying diversity and/or celebrities in a relevant and authentic way can benefit the brand. Maybelline approaches this in a smart way, causing viewers to spontaneously call out how much they liked the diversity of the cast, different skin tones and chosen celebrity appearances. This was also a great way to keep the audience’s attention throughout the ad, without detracting from the brand itself.?
• Even if you don’t show your brand at the start of the ad, if you can keep your audience's attention a big reveal can be a hit! Maybelline does a great job of capturing the audience's attention with not only the cast, but also in the documentary-style of the ad and it’s build up to reveal the “icon” everyone is talking about. The big reveal worked well for them and evoked strong love, especially among women under 45.

1 reflection

Have you thought about how you could effectively showcase your brand in a way that you want it to be seen??

In this case, Maybelline New York wants to portray the boldness and iconic status of their brand, which contributes to the intended message. They use celebrities, a unique style, product shots and New York scenes that all portray Maybelline as bold and iconic while fitting with the brand.?

People love the boldness in Maybelline’s ad positioning and story.?

When done in an authentic way, showing your brand in a way you want it to be seen can be very successful and can help generate stronger brand appeal.

For more data & analysis

There’s a lot more to say about this ad!

Go to the Zappi blog for a more detailed look at this ad’s performance — including more about what viewers loved about the ad.

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Until next week,

Kim Malcolm