Aya Nakamura x MAC Cosmetics: a bold marketing move…
- Julia Hong
- 24 nov. 2019
- 4 min de lecture
Dernière mise à jour : 30 nov. 2019
"Oh Djadja…" I am sure this rings a bell to you. It’s nearly impossible that you never heard this song, you hate it and you love it at the same time, it just enters into your head and you surprise yourself singing along. Aya Nakamura, the 24 years old French singer, was ranked by the New York Times among the 15 European artists to keep an eye on and by Forbes among the 30 most influential people in the world under 30 years old.
MAC Cosmetics understood the potential of the young artist: they signed a collaboration and launched the 10th of October a lip stick “Aya” and a lip gloss “Nakamurance”. The brand has already worked with international celebrities such as Rihanna or Nicki Minaj, but it’s the very first time that MAC Cosmetics signs a collaboration with a French artist.
Through this line, Aya spreads a message of inclusivity. According to her, the lipstick creates a different look according to the skin color: it complements everyone. She said to Vogue: « It’s my nude, made for me. Nowadays, we have the nude for white girls, for mixed girls, but we don’t have a nude for black skins”.
Aya has touched a whole generation with her songs and her mindset, a generation who dare to be who they truly are, no matter what others may think. She promotes self-acceptance, reminding the values of MAC which celebrates individuality and diversity. The target of MAC are young millennials girls who follow Aya on social media and know her songs by heart. The fanbase will consider buying the products of the collaboration as memorabilia, to own a product designed by their beloved celebrity, as they could own a little bit of Aya.
Just before the launch of the two products, MAC Cosmetics created a page on its website to tease the collaboration, and a subscription to a newsletter in order to be the first one to know when the launch would happen. The cosmetics brand also posted a teasing video on Instagram and set up a QR code on Snapchat to shot short clips dancing with the virtual Aya. The strategy here is to create excitement and the desire to buy among the fanbase.
During the launching party, many influencers where invited and documented the event to their followers on Instagram stories. Even if you don’t care about make-up or Aya Nakamura, you are aware of the collaboration only by scrolling your feed! It creates world-of-mouth and stir-up curiosity.
In my opinion, this collaboration is a bold move for MAC Cosmetics as Aya is a really young artist who has been controverted because of the supposed “non-sense” of her lyrics. She created her own language, influenced by the suburbs slang. MAC has surfed on this buzz to address product to Aya’s community.
Although Aya is not as cherished as an Elvis Presley or a Johnny Hallyday, we can refer to tribal marketing as she is the one gathering people, creating a link, a social group, a hub, around her music and her message. The customers would feel special owning something that is “limited edition”.
Our blog is about innovation in the cosmetics industry. Collaborations have definitely changed the marketing game. Beauty influencers and celebrities are incredibly influential. Having written an influencer’s name across the packaging of a lipstick is a chance for brands to have a broader promotion and reach new customers.
Some curious collaborations:
Looking for some information on the internet about MAC x Aya Nakamura collection, I came across some interesting examples of collaborations in the cosmetics industry. I wonder how the marketing teams came up with some of those ideas, and sometimes, things go wrong. I thought it could be fun to share some of them:
· MAC x Rick Baker: Rick Baker is one of the most famous special-effects artists in Hollywood. He created Michael Jackson’s look in “Thriller” video for instance. But do MAC customers want to buy make-up from an artist who creates monsters?
· MAC x Aaliyah: The queen of R&B tragically died in a crash in 2001. In 2018, after an online petition massively signed by her fans, MAC decided to launch a posthumous collaboration with Aaliyah, inspired by her different make-up looks.
· MAC x Playboy: The adult magazine didn’t fit well to MAC Cosmetics image at that time. Because it wasn’t a success, very few lipsticks were sold. Now, it’s seen as a treasure for MAC collectors.
· Covergirl x Star Wars: The make-up brand and the Star Wars franchise made a collaboration for lipsticks. The result? Shades impossible to wear casually such as gold and white lipstick.
· Covergirl x James Charles: In 2016, the famous Youtuber became the first male face of a make-up brand. Unfortunately, brands cannot control every words of their ambassador. In the early 2017, James Charles foolishly tweeted: “I can’t believe we are going to Africa today omg what if I get Ebola?”, signing the end of his credibility. Covergirl answered “James Charles’ tweet does not represent Covergirl’s perspective. We agree his statements were inappropriate but appreciate that he has issued an apology. We are an inclusive brand and respect all people and cultures”. Later on, the Youtuber said that Africa was a country…
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