Time has shown us that brand collaborations (especially in increasingly saturated spaces) can be a bit hit or miss. The key to success isn’t just finding the right partner, but building partnership terms that set up everyone to win- the brand, the partner, and of course the consumer.
Some of my most challenging and rewarding projects to date have been my work with BECCA Cosmetics and our various influencer collaborations- especially when I got to take the wheel and lead our partnership with actress and model Chrissy Teigen.
Finding the Right Partner
Back in 2017, we were right in the middle of the explosion of online influencer culture and the significant shift this cultural movement had on brand & marketing budgets. BECCA pioneered the influencer-brand collaboration movement in the beauty space with Champagne Pop, an exclusive highlighter shade developed with influencer Jaclyn Hill. While we were the leaders, many had followed- meaning that the bar for what would feel fresh was even higher.
Consumers can tell when partnerships are transactional (throwing an influencer’s name on an existing product or wholesale endorsements) so we needed to identify a partner who felt right and who would build a product with us collaboratively.
Ultimately, Chrissy Teigen stood out because she hit everything we needed for an authentic partnership: cultural relevance, aesthetic alignment with our core brand identity, and true appreciation of the brand (she’d been a vocal fan of our products before we approached her). This alignment build a strong foundation on which we could build an exciting, engaging omni-channel product launch.
Go-To-Market & Launches: BECCA x Chrissy
As this was Teigen’s first beauty deal where she’d collaborate with building a product with her name, the structure for the partnership had to be approached uniquely for both her team and our own. I led the work of establishing and adjusting the terms, modeling out various scenarios to ID structures that would drive profit while also encompassing core launch needs (on both sides).
This approach ultimately moved us away from a standard flat-fee structure and encompassed a royalty model that created maximum motivation on all sides to ensure the launch would be a success. Ultimately, we were able to refine the partnership deal terms seamlessly, and both sides stepped away from the table feeling good.
A Rich, Omni-Channel Launch
This launch had a LOT of moving parts, including:
- Influencer & celebrity launch event hosted by Teigen
- In-store events at ULTA with Chrissy and then-makeup artist Mary Phillips (negotiated as part of an exclusive with our merchant partners at ULTA)
- Behind-The-Scenes shoots with Chrissy at our manufacturing plant
- BECCA’s first-ever large conference appearance at Beautycon LA, which I drove end-to-end, and involved a large-scale booth, programming design, travel, special promotions, and coordinating an appearance with Teigen herself.
Ultimately the collaboration was a success because of four key elements:
- We had the right partner
- A unique deal structure that aligned incentives and expectations
- Product design driven by both BECCA and Teigen’s aesthetic
- Activations built to meet the right people in the right context, at the perfect time