Objectives

Endo Aesthetics, an Endo International business, launched an unbranded campaign in 2021 designed to eliminate the shame and misinformation relating to cellulite. Really Cellulite was inspired by the inner monologue many women have with their derriere dimples, including offering a frustrated, “really, cellulite?” The campaign explains the proven scientific and structural causes of cellulite in an amusing and accessible way to educate on the “why” and “what” of cellulite.

Goals of the Really Cellulite campaign were three-fold:

• Educate and raise awareness around the perception women have of their cellulite
• Clear up the misinformation that exists around cellulite with facts and data
• Address discontent with current treatments, from topical lotions and scrubs to invasive surgery

To achieve these goals, Endo Aesthetics would need to not only reach women, but also connect with them in an authentic way. The Really Cellulite messages (and messengers) would need to be clear, friendly and empowering.

The team decided to work with micro-influencers who could share the Really Cellulite campaign with their loyal, engaged followers. They could start conversations about the incredibly common condition that 90% of women have by sharing their own experiences with cellulite and body image, highlighting interesting facts and stats included in the campaign and providing insight into their views on why women should learn more about cellulite.

Strategy and Execution

The influencer content had to navigate conversations around women’s bodies and their aesthetic decisions without inadvertently tapping into women’s self-doubt or negative body image. Endo and its influencer partners were sure to pressure-test all the content: It would be eye-catching without being sensationalized, thought-provoking without being judgmental, and empowering for all women—whether they are bothered by their cellulite or not.

Endo conducted a Harris Poll survey to understand women’s attitudes toward cellulite. Over 2,000 women with cellulite between the ages of 18 and 59 shed light on their feelings about cellulite and common misconceptions. Additionally, 300 board-certified dermatologists and plastic surgeons participated and shared their experiences with patients who often blame themselves for their cellulite.

The survey found that cellulite can have a negative impact on how women perceive themselves. 60% of the women felt they were to blame for their cellulite; nearly half (49%) were bothered “a great deal” or “a lot” by their dimples; and 3 in 5 had negative personal perceptions due to their cellulite. Regarding treatments, 77% of women surveyed wished that physicians would tell them more about treatment options that target root causes of cellulite, and 84% were interested in a non-surgical treatment for cellulite. Meanwhile, most physicians said that they wish women knew more about cellulite.

Armed with these insights, Endo Aesthetics developed the foundation of the campaign and homed in on the most impactful strategies and tactics for the target audience. The survey also provided a wealth of content for the Really Cellulite campaign.

The Really Cellulite influencer program, managed and executed by public relations and digital marketing agency EvolveMKD, leveraged paid nano-/micro-influencers (10k–25k followers) to build sustained awareness about cellulite, its causes and misconceptions about treatment. The agency conducted research to find partners with:

• An authentic voice that had built a trusted relationship with their audience
• An engaged follower base that fit the campaign’s target demographics
• Previous cellulite-related content covered on their channel

Four influencers were contracted for the full 2021 calendar year. Their content centered on topics that spoke to Really Cellulite’s target audience: women’s empowerment, skincare, fitness and lifestyle.

The influencers created Really Cellulite partner content on topics such as cellulite myths, the science of cellulite and the stigma of the condition. Each month, they posted timely and relevant content, delivering the Really Cellulite message in their own voices and highlighting the areas of the campaign that they found the most compelling.

All partner content included the @reallycellulite Instagram handle and drove consumers to reallycellulite.com, the campaign’s website, for more information. Using bright, compelling visuals to grab attention, both platforms share additional information and resources about cellulite to uproot commonly held misconceptions.

Results

With a total 48 in-feed Instagram posts and 96 Stories across all four partner accounts, the Really Cellulite micro-influencer program was highly successful, generating over 177K impressions and 39K engagements.

Even more meaningful, the response was overwhelmingly positive, with engagement rates for the Really Cellulite partner posts skyrocketing well above Instagram industry averages (benchmark is around 1%), ranging from 9% up to 23%. This proves that the content resonated with the partners’ audiences in an authentic way that inspired them to interact with the posts.

An overview of audience sentiment:

• Alysia’s followers enjoyed her posts and found the content relatable. Respondents agreed that cellulite is normal and that there needs to be more body positivity for all.
• Ashley’s followers thanked her for sharing the information on cellulite and were excited to see that it is now applauded to talk about the topic. They also shared that it is important to learn the true facts about cellulite—including that women of all ages and sizes have cellulite.
• Many of Dre’s followers shared their personal stories with cellulite. They found it reassuring that the condition is biological and commonly found in women of all sizes.
• Crystal’s followers thanked her for sharing such informative content and for being so transparent. Many also mentioned that they are trying to be easier on themselves and love their own bodies more.

The Really Cellulite website generated an average 71K monthly unique visitors during the run of the influencer program.

Media