Procter & Gamble: COVERGIRL Lashblast Length

P&G’s CoverGirl wanted to get on-the-go young women (15-34) wearing its Lashblast Length mascara, and the best time to target them was when they were in the mindset of looking their best – such as on the way to work or going out with friends.

With creative agency Saatchi & Saatchi, Starcom decided to leverage consumers’ love for celebrity and use colour (yellow) to stand out amongst its cosmetic competition. In addition to the base Drew Barrymore campaign of television and print, Starcom created a buzz-worthy initiative in the two most important “mascara war” markets – Toronto and Montreal – where the target’s transportation of choice was the subway. 

Young women were greeted unconventionally at subway entrances, with turnstiles – space that wasn’t typically for sale – turned into iconic CoverGirl yellow wands. No easy feat, considering the Transit Authority rarely approves new advertising units. Lash extensions extended from boards throughout the system, while subway interior door surrounds cautioned consumers that their long lashes might get caught between the doors.

CoverGirl Lashblast Length achieved competitive advantage on each important metric: overall campaign ad recall reached 60% (next closest competitor was 32% less); highest level of purchase intent more than doubled if the target was exposed to the transit campaign (12-28%); transit users’ recall was 14% higher. CoverGirl maintained the number one position overall in the eye segment, and after three months, Lashblast Length became the number one lengthening mascara in Canada. Sales volume increased by 14% in Ontario and 20% in Quebec (Nielsen Market Research).