L'Oréal Paris animates celeb-heavy campaign with Giphy, Instagram for Golden Globes

Dive Brief:

L'Oréal Paris debuted a marketing campaign, #StopWaiting, for its new Elvive Rapid Reviver Deep Conditioners during the Golden Globes yesterday (Jan. 6), the company announced via press release. The campaign highlights the time-saving benefits of the new conditioners and aims to celebrate the idea that good things come to those who stop waiting and go after their dreams.
The brand's celebrity spokeswomen, including Camila Cabello, Eva Longoria, Amber Heard and Aja Naomi King, shared brand messages on social media on the night of the Golden Globes. Throughout the weekend, fans could animate their Instagram Stories using a branded Giphy sticker created for the campaign.
Women are encouraged to join the conversation and share their own #StopWaiting stories, tagging @LorealHair on Instagram and @LOrealParisUSA on Twitter. The brand showcased the #StopWaiting stories on the red carpet and online by sharing certain posts on its Twitter page.

Dive Insight:

L'Oréal Paris is striving to change the conversation around women's empowerment by encouraging them to #StopWaiting to take action regarding their goals and sharing stories of how women are putting this into practice. The new campaign was inspired by an internal study showing that 91% of women have been told that "good things only come to those who wait," according to the release.

By incorporating Instagram Stories, the Giphy sticker and interactive elements, L'Oréal Paris seems to be targeting younger, tech-savvy consumers, who are most receptive to brands that work to dispel gender stereotypes. Beauty brands are ramping up their use of GIFs on Instagram, which the platform launched last year, as it strives to compete with Snapchat. "Visual expressions" like GIFs, emoji and digital stickers, are popular with millennials, with 36% saying the images can better communicate their thoughts and feelings than words, according to Time report that cited a survey by Harris Poll and GIF platform Tenor.

Some brands have been slow to embrace social media stories, but fashion and beauty brands are coming around as they realize the opportunity to connect with consumers in an authentic way in near real time. During the 2018 holiday shopping season, 37% of advertisers planned to invest in Instagram Stories, according to a ClickZ and Kenshoo study. Instagram also recently expanded its shopping tool to Instagram Stories to open up opportunities for brands to reach consumers and drive direct purchases.

Broadening the campaign beyond a traditional TV commercial during the Golden Globes is a savvy move for L'Oréal Paris. Last year's broadcast of the awards show saw a 5% audience decline and an 11% drop among the valuable 18 to 49 demographic, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The show usually ranks as the No. 3 awards telecast, behind the Oscars and Grammys. Executing the campaign on social media could extend the brand's reach beyond those viewing the awards show live.