MAKEUP CARTEL

To boost sales, the beauty brand partnered with creator platform TRIBE for a campaign of Instagram branded content ads, which earned a 1.5X higher return on ad spend than regular photo ads.

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THE STORY
Highlighting natural beauty

Australian cosmetics brand MakeUp Cartel offers vegan, cruelty-free and locally produced makeup and skincare products that aim to leave skin feeling healthy and nourished.

29%

lower cost per purchase from branded content ads, compared to photo ads

19%

lower cost per impression from branded content ads, compared to photo ads

1.5X

higher return on ad spend from branded content ads, compared to photo ads

Branded content is becoming increasingly important for our Meta marketing strategy. Finding creators that match our brand can be a tall order, but partnering with TRIBE allowed us to connect with online personalities that fit our brand well. Coupled with Meta’s intuitive technologies, the entire campaign process was seamless from start to finish.
LUKE TRAINI, CEO, MAKEUP CARTEL
THE GOAL
A marketing strategy makeover

MakeUp Cartel was looking to improve its direct-response marketing strategy and wanted to see if working with social media content creators would increase sales.

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THE SOLUTION

Partnerships with creators

MakeUp Cartel teamed up with TRIBE, a Meta Business Partner that connects brands to content creators, to identify online personalities who would be a good match for the brand’s values, products and desired audience.

The beauty brand selected five creators, who posted photos of themselves on Instagram either using, or posing with, MakeUp Cartel products. The team then repurposed the photos, transforming them into branded content ads, which are marked as Sponsored. Running on Instagram, the ads used the conversions objective and linked to MakeUp Cartel’s website, where people could purchase products.

The team broadly targeted both campaigns to women in Australia over the age of 18. To measure the effectiveness of the branded content ads, the brand also ran a campaign of its business-as-usual photo ads at the same time, and conducted an A/B test to compare their performance. The A/B test showed that from October 30–November 20, 2021, the branded content ads earned better results compared to regular photo ads:

  • 29% lower cost per purchase from branded content ads, compared to photo ads
  • 19% lower cost per impression from branded content ads, compared to photo ads
  • 1.5X higher return on ad spend from branded content ads, compared to photo ads
Create Ad
Content creators have the potential to unlock unique audiences for brands, introducing them to people that may not have had the chance to interact with their products. We are thrilled that MakeUp Cartel’s decision to work with online personalities paid off, with the brand seeing an uptick in ad spend while keeping costs low.
WILL FISHER, HEAD OF PARTNERSHIPS & UK CLIENT DIRECTOR, MAKEUP CARTEL
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