Today’s retail world is rapidly changing and IPSY — the largest beauty subscription service in the world — has continued to turn the beauty model upside down. There has been a massive shift in the industry as power moves from merchants to the community. In the past, retailers decided what products consumers should be wearing or trying; they would curate their favorites and presume that those products were right for everyone.
IPSY is laser-focused on the democratization of beauty, and was founded on the single mission to inspire individuals around the world to express their unique beauty. It is empowering, and is the most basic form of self-expression. It can be used to create connections and build community.
IPSY is the beauty company of the creator community. What started with the original creator and Co-Founder of IPSY, Michelle Phan, has now inspired a generation. Today, we have seen the emergence of macro-influencers with millions of followers, as well as micro-influencers with smaller, highly engaged followers.
To further amplify its mission, IPSY unveiled the “Discover Yourself” campaign in September which features an exceptionally diverse group of creators that, together, challenge standard perceptions of beauty. The brand ambassadors shared their personal journey of self-discovery through a series of videos that debuted on IPSY’s digital properties, followed by a broad-scale offline marketing campaign.
IPSY’s first Chief Brand Officer, Jenna Habayeb, led the campaign effort with support from various teams including Creative, Experiential, Brand Operations, Growth, Social & Creator Partnerships teams. To identify the “Discover Yourself” ambassadors, the team conducted extensive research to ensure the ambassadors were truly aligned with IPSY’s mission and core values. Headlined by Ciara, whose latest album encourages listeners to embrace their “Beauty Marks,” the group also includes body-positivity advocate and Co-Founder of plus size fashion line Premme, Gabi Fresh, and the 17 year old Co-Founder & CEO of gender-fluid Formula Z cosmetics, Zack Dishinger — along with other boundary-pushing creators including Allie Binkowski, Corey Rae, Indi Williams, Nikol Johnson Sanchez, Janibell Rosanne, and Misty Diaz.
From online experiences through social media, to offline experiences like IPSY Live, IPSY has been able to capture a large audience through thoughtful brand storytelling. During IPSY Live, the brand’s first event utilizing the new campaign, IPSY debuted a three day gathering featuring a multi-level space, worked with new brands to encourage attendees to discover new favorites, created Build Your Own Glam Bag stations and photo opportunities, and developed its first-ever Preview Night for media and creators.
IPSY was able to confirm growth through its target KPI categories including media placements across key outlets including Glossy, Good Morning America, Daily Mail, Extra TV and more. IPSY garnered over 400 million digital impressions and showed double digit growth in social mentions, search volume, and organic traffic. The company also welcomed over 3,000 attendees to its IPSY Live event in New York City, and received a 30 point increase in attendee satisfaction from its previous events.
