By SARAH JONES
France’s YSL Beauty is opting for friendship over flirting in a push for its latest lip products.
In efforts for its Volupte Plump-in-Color lip balm and Rouge Volupte Shine Oil-in-Stick, two spots feature female models having a girls’ night out or holding an impromptu dance party on a bus. While a lot of beauty efforts revolve around romantic themes, YSL Beauty is inviting women to wear makeup more for their own enjoyment than catching a mate.
“YSL’s new campaign for Volupte puts the viewer in charge of their own world — where they are going, who gets to wear makeup, who they choose to be let ‘in’ or even who to have fun with — and places control in the hands of the consumer,” said Daymon Bruck, CCO and partner at The O Group, Seattle. “This positioning works great for enlightened consumers who are tired of being told what to do, who to follow and what to look like.
“Beauty brands, like many industries in the luxury world, are becoming more comfortable with personalization and helping consumers find new ways be the star of their own personal brands,” he said.
Mr. Bruck is not affiliated with YSL Beauty, but agreed to comment as an industry expert. YSL Beauty was reached for comment.
PLAYFUL PUSH
Rouge Volupte Shine Oil-in-Stick is made with 60 percent oil for shine and hydration.
The ad for YSL Beauty’s lipstick stars newly named brand ambassador Kaia Gerber . At the opening of the video, the model is shown sticking up her thumb as if hitchhiking.
A male bus driver stops and asks Ms. Gerber if she needs a ride, to which she replies, “Sure.” After getting on board, she is seen singing along to headphones.
Taking the music public, she plugs her phone into the bus’ speakers and Hyphen Hyphen’s track “Like Boys” begins to play.
The driver watches through his rear view mirror as Ms. Gerber dances with a group of women and gives a lipcolor makeover to a male passenger. She nears the driver and seems to be ready to make a move, but she instead hits the door open button and heads out.
As the model exits, she grabs the hand of the lipsticked male passenger and leaves with him.
YVES SAINT LAURENT – ROUGE VOLUPTE SHINE 38S 16-9
YSL Beauty campaign for Rouge Volupte Shine Oil-in-Stick
Another spot centers on the two-in-one lip balm Volupte Plump-in Color. An outer ring of the product is a lipstick that delivers color and shine, while a heart-shaped core acts as a lip balm and plumper.
The ad opens with friends at a bar. One of the women gets a series of texts from a friend, which include a number of black heart emojis and the message “See you in the other room.”
The women meet their friend and proceed to hold a dance party on a floor covered in black balloons.
At the end of the film, the balloons float up to the ceiling, and the viewer can see them make a heart shape reminiscent of the product’s appearance.
YVES SAINT LAURENT – VOLUPTE PLUMP IN COLOUR 35S 16-9
YSL Beauty’s Volupte Plump-in-Color
BEAUTY REBELLION
YSL Beauty has made appeals to younger consumers with brand ambassadors and campaign concepts that speak to breaking free.
For instance, the brand tempted free-spirited consumers to answer the call of its charismatic scent Black Opium with help from a new fragrance face.
Brand ambassador Zoë Kravitz stars in her first perfume campaign for YSL Beauty as the ringleader of a rebellious group of young people. The short film speaks to the adventure and independence younger people seek out .
YSL Beauty’s choice to feature a man wearing Rouge Volupte Shine Oil-in-Stick was strategic, as more men are embracing beauty that breaks down gender barriers.
Luxury cosmetics labels are beginning to pay more attention to male consumers, as sales of men’s grooming products continue to grow.
According to Euromonitor’s 2018 Beauty Survey, sales of men’s grooming products neared $50 billion in 2017 and are on track to grow 16 percent to 2020. As brands develop and market personal care and beauty products for men, they are using more gender-neutral strategies, reflecting changing attitudes surrounding gender norms among today’s consumers .
“We are seeing 2019 as the year that makeup for men will really take off — especially in South Korea where Boy de Channel was launched in 2018, and where men spend 10 times more on skincare than in the U.S. or Europe,” Mr. Bruck said. “With big brands like Channel, YSL, Tom Ford, Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs and Estée Lauder leading the charge for producing new beauty products for men — or at least launching unisex lines — it’s clear this trend is ready to become a strong sector for growth and innovation over the next few years.”
