To mark the 40th anniversary of PEOPLE’s iconic Sexiest Man Alive franchise, we set out to create a milestone moment worthy of its cultural legacy — one that would break format, spark conversation, and extend far beyond the magazine. The breakthrough idea: PEOPLE’s first-ever editorial centerfold, starring a bare Role Model and featuring an equally bold print advertisement.
To fully realize the impact of the moment, we partnered with M·A·C Cosmetics, an iconic brand known for confidence, self-expression, and pushing boundaries. Together, we built a fully integrated campaign designed to unite print, social, retail, and IRL experiences under one bold, cohesive message: Confidence is the sexiest thing you can wear.
The resulting 360° partnership strategically leveraged the centerfold alongside the magazine’s biggest moment and IP. The objective was twofold: to elevate the anniversary of Sexiest Man Alive into a first-to-market cultural event while amplifying M·A·C’s “I Only Wear M·A·C” platform. The seamless creative throughline felt natural, elevated, and impossible to ignore, transforming a single editorial moment into a cross-channel cultural takeover that translated both on and off the page.
From the original print piece to corresponding social posts and an in-theme store event, we celebrated confidence, sensuality, and unapologetic self-expression — all while generating buzz, conversation, and undeniable FOMO.
To bring the vision to life, we built a first-to-market, fully integrated plan that fused PEOPLE’s most iconic franchise with M·A·C’s unapologetic brand ethos across print, digital, retail, and experiential touchpoints — each anchored to the historic centerfold moment.
The campaign debuted with PEOPLE’s first-ever Sexiest Man Alive print centerfold, aligning M·A·C’s “I Only Wear M·A·C” and M·A·C Nudes campaigns — featuring Doja Cat, Gabriette, and Bach Buquen — with PEOPLE’s nude editorial reveal. Custom creative, developed by People Inc.'s in-house custom content team, Studio at People Inc., ensured visual and thematic continuity between editorial and advertising, blurring the line between culture and commerce.
Extending the print moment into a high-impact, interactive experience, M·A·C also had digital ownership of the Sexiest Man Alive exclusive reveal and immersive centerfold article. The integration also moved from the screen to the store with a one-day takeover of the M·A·C Los Cerritos store in California, one of the brand’s highest-trafficked stores. This further brought the centerfold to life through in-store visuals, product storytelling, and real-world engagement.
Together, we took this big editorial moment and transformed it into a coordinated, multi-channel integrated event that was pitched, sold, concepted, and created all in under a month.
This campaign delivered measurable impact across editorial, social, digital, and retail, all while sparking plenty of cultural conversation.
The historic centerfold moment generated 3.65B impressions alone, contributing to a record-breaking 71B total press impressions for the Sexiest Man Alive franchise — the 65% year-over-year increase proved that in its 40th anniversary year, the franchise is sexier than ever. Coverage of the M·A·C partnership was also picked up by industry outlets like @peoplebrandsandthings and @marketing.with.m.
Digitally, we translated attention to engagement, driving an 81% above-average CTR and 1.2x above-average time spent on the PEOPLE.com centerfold digital article. We also drove IRL sales conversions: M·A·C exceeded its in-store stretch sales goal during the Sexiest Man Alive event.
These sexy results paired with the out-of-the-box creative led to an over-the-moon client: “M·A·C has always been more than a beauty brand: It’s a culture brand rooted in fashion, artistry, and community, so it was a no-brainer for us to partner with PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive issue — THE culture moment right now. The partnership started as a sexy centerfold integration to showcase our “I Only Wear M·A·C” campaign, and then we took it a step further with digital and IRL elements to fully realize the potential of uniting our two iconic brands.” - Rachel Lockett, Vice President, Marketing & Consumer Engagement, M·A·C North America
