CLINIQUE
When Clinique changed from a product-inspired to a people-inspired idea for its ad campaign using dynamic ads on Instagram, it found that the people-inspired approach led to a 5.2-point lift in action intent with its core demographic.
Launched in 1968, Clinique became a beauty industry trailblazer with its dermatologist-created skin care products and the now iconic image of its in-store advisors dressed in pristine white lab coats. Today the brand remains committed to its original mission of providing the safest and most effective skincare formulas available.
lift in action intent with combined people- and product-focused ads
lift in action intent within key age demographic of US women aged 45-54 with combined people- and product-focused ads
lift in brand awareness with people-focused ads
Clinique wanted to build stronger connections with new and existing customers in the US and determine whether product, people or a blend of both product and people-focused ads would perform best.
THE SOLUTION
Formulating excellent results
Clinique is a well-known and trusted brand in the US, but the team recognized it had an opportunity to forge stronger emotional connections with its customers. To accomplish this, Clinique partnered with Facebook to test out a new insight-driven ad campaign strategy for its Smart Anti-Aging Serum product line.
The team began by conducting extensive research into its audience of women over the age of 40 using Facebook IQ, a resource that provides actionable insights about people, marketing and measurement. One of the key revelations of the research was that women saw aging as a forward improvement process, not a backward journey to look younger. Recognizing how this insight defied conventional aging stereotypes, Clinique chose to build around it as the creative theme of its campaign.
The campaign highlighted three diverse, real women who defied aging expectations in their lives and careers. Clinique created multiple ads that expanded on each woman’s story and ads that connected those stories to the product. This deliberate “people first” approach made individual stories the inspiration for each ad, instead of products. The team developed a range of people and product-focused ads to test the impact of each, individually and in combination, across the marketing funnel.
As Clinique prepared to begin delivering the ads on Facebook and Instagram, it set up a three-cell brand lift study to gain an understanding of the effectiveness of its different ads and ad combinations. Cell 1 ads focused on people, Cell 2 ads focused on product and Cell 3 ads presented a blend of ads focused on both people and product.
Focusing on boosting brand awareness and consideration, Clinique showed the ads to core audiences of US women aged 35 and older, and to Custom Audiences who had engaged with the brand in the past. It also showed ads to lookalike audiences of people similar to its past product purchasers and repeat customers. Following Facebook best practices, the team used dynamic ads, which automatically show products to people who have previously expressed interest.
At the completion of Clinique’s January 10-February 21, 2021 campaign, its Facebook brand lift study revealed the following results:
- 2-point lift in action intent with combined people and product-focused ads
- 5.2-point lift in action intent within key age demographic of US women aged 45-54 with combined people and product-focused ads
- 4.4-point lift in brand awareness with people-focused ads