To create its latest advertising campaign, Mary Kay looked to the experts on the business: its Independent Beauty Consultants.
Women who actually sell Mary Kay products are the stars of “I CAN,” a new multi-platform campaign from the cosmetics maker. I CAN has been in the works since 2015, when the company introduced the #MyMKLife hashtag across social channels, as a way for consultants to share how Mary Kay—recently named a Top 5 Global Skin Care Brand—has impacted their lives.
“These inspirational women from all walks of life chose the Mary kay business for many different reasons,” said Sara Friedman, Vice President of U.S. Marketing for Mary Kay. “However, through the campaign, it is evident that they are united by their love for the diverse opportunities their Mary Kay business allows them on a daily basis.”
To produce the content, Mary Kay photographed and interviewed more than 500 consultants during Seminar 2016, its annual salesforce convention. Their faces and stories appear in the campaign’s digital, broadcast, print and outdoor ads. Some appear at length in videos posted to the Mary Kay website.
According to Friedman, “The ‘I CAN’ campaign gave us the chance to showcase, on a national stage, the heart of Mary Kay—our independent salesforce.”
Company officials report that, since launching in September, the campaign has garnered 43.8 million impressions and 1.2 million engagements across social channels, and more than 40,000 uses of a custom photo filter. The first I CAN television commercial aired Thursday during Lifetime’s “Project Runway,” the hit reality show that regularly features Mary Kay as Official Beauty Sponsor.
