DTC darling Glossier makes first foray into TV advertising
Beauty company Glossier is embarking on its most wide-ranging campaign to date – an initiative that will see it broadcast TV advertising for the first time.
Glossier will advertiser across OOH and TV, as well as on digital
In a continuation of the brand’s unfiltered and unscripted approach to beauty marketing, ‘Feeling Like Glossier’ stars seven real-life members of Glossier’s community. These include employers such as offline editor Ernest, who works at its flagship New York store, and customers such as the student and YouTuber Rafiqah Abdullah Akhdar.
Films exploring each subject’s make-up routine and beauty philosophy have been published on a campaign microsite, which allows customers to learn more about each cast member through long form copy while shopping their favorite products in an e-commerce integration.
The 30-second films will also be broadcast exclusively on ABC in Glossier’s TV advertising debut.
The foray into traditional broadcasting forms part of a deal inked between the US network and the beauty brand. Glossier is also producing content to sit across ABC’s app and website.
A spokesperson for the brand said the leap into the far-reaching but less targeted medium of national TV came from a desire to create an emotional connection at scale. The rep said the company was looking to reinforce its messaging with existing customers while introducing itself to new ones.
TV isn’t the only traditional platform Glossier is now experimenting with – ‘Feeling Like Glossier’ will also appear in billboard form throughout New York City.
However, the campaign is still being described by the company as digital-first. Creative has been made in-house for Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.
Glossier launched at the boom of the DTC era in 2014, becoming one of the first disruptor beauty brands to use Instagram as a viable shop window. Five years on, 70% of its sales still come through its organic channels, despite the brand surpassing $100m in annual revenue in 2018.
Like a number of other digitally native DTCs such as Caspar and Allbirds, Glossier has launched permanent retail spaces in New York and Los Angeles, as well as developing a pop-up store concept. It now joins the likes of Bonobos and Hubble in advertising on traditional TV.