The Cover FX "Ms. Irrelevant" campaign aimed to showcase the brands high-performance beauty products by exemplifying an authentic connection between sports and beauty. Spotlighting underdog athletes to promote its sweat-proof Total Cover Cream Foundation, the campaign's name references the last pick in the NFL draft, "Mr. Irrelevant," and features female professional athletes, who were also the last pick: NWSL's Talia Gabarra, WTA's Solymar Colling, and WNBA's Angel Jackson. The campaign challenged industry norms by celebrating the journeys of lesser-known athletes who, despite their rank, radiate incredible resilience and effort. The video featured the brand’s Total Cover Cream Foundation, clinically tested to be sweat-proof, where the athletes apply it and put it to the ultimate sweat test.
The primary objective was to announce the Total Cover Cream Foundation's sweat-proof clinical claim through real-life scenarios, like sports with professional athletes. By showcasing the product’s durability in intense athletic environments, the campaign emphasized that beauty products could meet the unique demands of active individuals. Key performance indicators (KPIs), such as social media engagement, website traffic, and sales figures, allowed Cover FX to gauge the campaign's success in expanding its consumer base, strengthening brand relevance, and enhancing brand sentiment.
Cover FX announced its hero product Total Cover Cream Foundation’s new sweat-proof claims with its Ms. Irrelevant campaign. Targeting its core consumer base—individuals aged mid-20s to mid-40s who prioritize skincare and high-performance beauty products—the brand capitalized on the heightened cultural attention surrounding the summer Olympics to spotlight athletes often overlooked by mainstream media. This created a unique narrative, bridging the gap between beauty and sports in a way that emphasized performance and representation.
Cover FX developed a skin-first approach, showcasing the foundation’s ability to stay in place under intense heat and physical exertion. This strategic focus allowed the brand to address a common consumer concern—summer heat and humidity’s effect on makeup longevity—while reinforcing the product’s effectiveness in real-world, high-impact scenarios.
Execution involved a combination of video storytelling and a robust social media strategy. Partnering with professional athletes, Cover FX produced video content of each athlete playing their respective sport, underscoring how the foundation held up even under rigorous conditions. This content was disseminated across key platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and the brand’s website to maximize visibility and engagement. Paid social media ads targeted audiences interested in sweat-proof foundation, while PR outreach connected the campaign with relevant beauty, sports, and trade publications, especially during this timely period leading up to the Olympics, and enhanced credibility and reach.
One of the main challenges the campaign faced was the lack of widespread awareness about the athletes featured. These athletes were not well-known to the general public, which meant Cover FX needed to introduce and elevate their profiles in a way that resonated with consumers. To overcome this, the campaign employed a narrative-driven approach, using storytelling techniques beyond simple product promotion. The videos demonstrated the product’s performance and shared the athletes’ unique stories, creating an emotional connection that fostered empathy and interest. Through consistent and targeted messaging, Cover FX created attention for these athletes, generating consumer and media interest.
The "Ms. Irrelevant" campaign stands out due to its combination of performance-driven beauty and cross-industry storytelling. By integrating a culturally relevant event like the Olympics with a narrative focused on the brand's hero sweat-proof foundation, Cover FX broadened its appeal and reinforced its commitment to high-performance products in beauty.
The "Ms. Irrelevant" campaign successfully met and exceeded Cover FX’s objectives by generating significant visibility, engagement, and brand awareness around its commitment to high-performance products. The campaign earned a remarkable 192,697,614 media impressions, demonstrating broad interest and positioning Cover FX prominently in the beauty conversation.
Social media performance highlights included 29,552 video views and 45,542 impressions, alongside 1,447 engagements, reflecting a strong resonance with the audience. On launch day alone, social platforms achieved 22,241 impressions, 25 Instagram Story reshares, and 4 reposts, amplifying the campaign’s reach and virality. Engagement rates increased on key platforms; Facebook’s engagement rose to 1.76%, outperforming the typical 1.43%, while Instagram’s engagement rate tripled from an average of 0.01% to 0.03%.
Website traffic, social views, and impressions contributed to expanding Cover FX’s reach to new audiences. Additionally, the campaign supported brand growth, with Instagram profile views increasing by 0.04% and an average reach of 3,328 per post. Across platforms, the campaign attracted 58 new followers in one day, solidifying Cover FX’s growing community.
Through effective storytelling and strategic digital engagement, "Ms. Irrelevant" successfully brought Cover FX into broader conversations about beauty product performance, achieving impressive reach and engagement metrics that underscore the campaign’s impact and alignment with brand objectives.
