Eos reunites former flames and flings to redo their first kiss in a new ad campaign
The lip and skincare brand believes that the right lip balm can make all the difference in a romantic moment.
Beauty brand Eos knows that first kisses can leave a lot to be desired. In fact, according to its own research, the brand discovered that consumers are twice as likely to recall their first kiss as awkward, sloppy or embarrassing compared with their current kisses.
So the brand decided to give former flames a chance to redo their first kiss – with the help of their organic lip balms, which are imbued with moisture-promoting ingredients like coconut oil, shea butter and jojoba oil and come in a range of classic and seasonal flavors.
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In a new campaign, ‘Second First Kiss,’ Eos rounded up everyday people and asked them to share the story of their first kiss, from awkward spin-the-bottle-spurred encounters to a friendly peck before a friend opened up about their sexuality. Then, it reunited the couples and invited them to give it another shot – after prepping with Eos lip balm.
“First kiss stories are so cringe and yet so relatable,” said Soyoung Kang, chief marketing officer at Eos. “Our team laugh-cried while sharing memories, from launching at someone in a bounce house to accidentally kissing the wrong twin. Mine was while watching The Shining, which says it all.”
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Kang hopes that consumers feel they “can always rely on Eos lip balm,” which she says has been “keeping our lips smooth since before we knew how to use them.”
And recent Eos research, which includes a survey of 1,200 women, suggests that lip balm often plays a crucial role in the world of kissing. 63% of respondents claim to use lip balm before or after kissing and 74% believe that soft, smooth lips are important for good kissing. Nearly 70% of women surveyed say they use lip balm every day and those who do were found to be 1.4 times more likely to be confident in their kissing skills, rating themselves consistently as ‘good’ or ‘great.’
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The campaign was created with the help of the brand’s agency of record, Mischief @ No Fixed Address. Howard Finkelstein, group creative director at Mischief, said that casting for the film proved especially challenging. “Would you reach out to your first kiss and ask them to fly across the country to do it again on camera? Would you both say yes to that?” he joked.
“It was a tricky search, but we lucked out with some really great people and fun stories. We interviewed all the couples to find the magic in the memories of their first kiss, from the nervous excitement to the awkward details. We heard great tidbits about sweating through school uniforms, an impatient bus driver who saw everything and complete bewilderment about what you’re supposed to do with your hands.”
In fact, these vivid details inspired a full recreation of the moment for one couple. Eos outfitted one participant in a cheerleading uniform and her partner in his school uniform. The two got to share a reimagined version of their original kiss – even down to the detail of a scowling bus driver looking on.
The campaign will roll out over the coming months and features the 1:50 hero film as well as shorter 30- and 15-second versions. The ads will run on connected TV platforms, online video and paid social media. Plus, as part of the effort, Eos has tapped a handful of TikTok creators to share the details of their own memorable first kisses.
Eos has performed especially well post-pandemic – recent data from Nielsen finds that retail sales of the brand’s lip care products have grown continuously for more than two years.
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