The Challenge

For more than 100 years Max Factor has been developing some of the most creative and iconic market-leading make-up products. Having built a legacy in glamour, Max Factor wanted to define what glamour is and how this has changed decade to decade.

The Idea

Max Factor set out to illustrate 100 years of glamour and define it for the future, using their ambassadors, Gwyneth Paltrow and Marilyn Monroe, as well bloggers and other industry experts. In partnership with three of TI Media’s biggest women’s brands: Marie Claire, Look and InStyle, the titles enabled Max Factor to have an authoritative voice throughout the campaign via these trusted brands.

A highly-targeted, expertly-crafted 12 month multi-platform campaign allowed Max Factor to showcase their market-leading credentials in the beauty category and really stand apart from the competition.

The campaign included:

• A glossy 12-page insert in Marie Claire curated by the magazines’ specialist team
• A pop-up glamour studio at Westfield, where women could ‘ask the expert’ and receive a make-over by a professional make-up artist
• An immersive cinema experience with a special screening of ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ hosted by Max Factor
• Behind-the-scenes photoshoot with blogger ‘Hello October’ aka Suzie Bonaldi
• Interactive web and social activity, as well as targeted newsletter mailings
• Interviews with top beauty professionals from Marie Claire, Look and InStyle, exploring their definitions of glamour

The Results

The success of the campaign and delivery of its objectives is reflected in the results. The campaign weaved a strong brand story, promoting brand perceptions of expertise, heritage and inspiration.

• Pre, mid and post campaign analysis showed a strong positive shift in perceptions following the magazine media campaign. Max Factor was strongly perceived as an expert in cosmetics, having rich heritage and inspiring to try new looks
• The campaign also promoted brand perception of quality and value for money. Max Factor was strongly perceived as a high quality brand and better value for money than its closest competitors as well as decreasing it’s image as an old fashioned brand. Also improving its credentials as an expert, glamorous and a stylish brand
• Overall it can be seen that the campaign had a strong impact on delivering differentiation for this long established makeup brand; providing a unique perspective on beauty today in a dynamic and engaging way for its target audience