Mary Kay brand platform launches in 40 markets with Grey

Mary Kay has launched a new global brand platform called Beauty Is More Beautiful Shared. The information comes from the cosmetics company own newsroom, which published the announcement on 1 September. Mary Kay describes it as the biggest consumer campaign in its history.

Grey made the campaign with an all-women creative team

The company says the creative work comes from the agency Grey, with a team made up entirely of women. A campaign film was directed by Olivia De Camps. Agnes Fischer, US chief executive of Grey, is quoted in the release saying the platform “elevates Mary Kay as the contemporary, confident brand it is”. That is the agency view, not an independent verdict on the work.

The rollout covers 40 markets, from Brazil to the Czech Republic

Mary Kay says the platform will run in 40 markets. The release names Brazil, Mexico, China, Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic among them. The plan mixes paid and owned channels: the film, social and digital activity, work with influencers, out-of-home posters and live events that start in New York. The company has not published a media budget. For a brand review of this size, that is the number worth asking about, the way Booking.com set out its new global creative arrangement earlier this year.

Ryan Rogers links the line to women supporting women

Chief executive Ryan Rogers says in the release that the idea reflects what the company has stood for, which he sums up as women supporting women. Chief brand and scientific officer Lucy Gildea adds that the company wants to treat beauty as something people do together rather than alone. Both quotes come from Mary Kay, so treat them as the company position.

A shared-beauty idea suits a brand that sells through people

Mary Kay sells through independent consultants, not mainly through shops. A message about sharing gives those sellers something to repeat and something to show. That is the practical part for marketers watching this. A brand platform only works when the people closest to the customer can use it in one sentence. Brands have been testing how far that can go, from Chipotle handing a national campaign to 100 creators to owners buying whole brands to widen a portfolio, as Barilla did with Goodles.