For Maybelline, Print and Data Blend into a Beautiful Shade of Success

For brands in the cosmetics industry, competition for mind share is fierce. One brand, Maybelline NY, took their quest for brand loyalty into print, with some interesting results.

“Women can have more than 6 brands of cosmetics in their handbag and Maybelline NY was not selling enough of their foundation products,” notes this case study in PrintPower. “Maybelline NY knew that many consumers are unaware of technical considerations in makeup choices, such as how foundation products behave differently based upon different skin types. Maybelline NY recognised this as they set out to increase brand loyalty and product sales.”

They set about the challenge by combining massive amounts of volunteered customer data with highly personalized print booklets. The brand, the article notes, created a microsite to collect consumer data via a questionnaire, including mailing addresses.

“Then, a series of three fully personalised booklets containing cosmetic lessons, personal product recommendations, how-to guides, daytime vs night look recommendations and trackable discount coupons were created. These catalogues were then delivered sequentially straight to each customer over several months,” the article explains.

Did it work? According to Maybelline NY, it sure did. The campaign saw some impressive results, including more sales, more product trials and more customers. According to the article, specific metrics included:

  • 20 times the engagement compared to a previous static, non-customised print campaign, according to the coupon redemption rates.
  • Upsold 55% of participants to a better product and most of the new business secured was from people who previously bought competitive brands.
  • Participants were also more likely to recommend the brand, delivering a lift to Maybelline’s brand appreciation.
  • Target audience exceeded from the initial 5,000 to 55,000 site visitors.
  • The cosmetic brand saw positive responses generated via social media, blogs and makeup forums.

That is impressive, and a great testimony to the power of highly personalized print in consumer campaigns. And they aren’t the only brand doing it; Cost World Plus launched a fantastic personalized campaign that included printed pieces, again using self-volunteered data. Meanwhile, UK brand JD Williams is using personalized direct mail to spur sales from abandoned shopping carts.

The results of these highly personalized campaigns are proving the case for using data in print media in creative and compelling ways, rather than as a mass targeting technique. It’s not the size of the footprint that matters, but how much closer that step moves you toward the end goal.