Urban Decay dishes out makeup samples to Bumble app users

Dive Brief:

Urban Decay partnered with women-first dating app Bumble to give away 1,000 free samples of its latest Naked eyeshadow palette, per an announcement shared with Mobile Marketer. The giveaway is part of the L'Oréal-owned brand's promotion for the Naked Honey product.
The campaign will target users across the social app's three segments, BumbleDate, BumbleBFF and BumbleBiz, with additional push notifications to boost reach and engagement among the app's 63 million users. Bumble also will cross-promote the campaign on Instagram.
Starting today, the campaign runs through Sept. 23. Urban Decay began selling the Naked Honey palette today online and in Sephora stores, according to a post on Instagram.

Dive Insight:

Urban Decay's giveaway of its Naked Honey makeup palette on Bumble's apps aims to reach young women who are key targets for the cosmetics brand. By offering free samples of the product, the campaign will likely resonate with target consumers better than traditional advertising. These ad-averse young adults are typically receptive to brands that meet them on their preferred platforms and tell a story that demonstrates authenticity and commitment to diversity.

Urban Decay this month debuted the Naked Honey palette on its Instagram channel in a video featuring singer Lizzo and actress Joey King, who have been brand ambassadors since June. At that time, the makeup brand introduced its "Pretty Different" campaign to celebrate individuality and tout its contrarian history.

Instagram is a significant marketing medium for cosmetics brands, especially Urban Decay. The brand devoted 67% of its social media ads to Instagram, ahead of other major brands like Maybelline New York and Estee Lauder, earlier this year, per a study by researcher BrandTotal.

Urban Decay is among the brands that have promoted products on Bumble this year. Halo Top Creamery celebrated National Ice Cream Day by giving app users a chance to win a free box of its Halo Top Pops. The dating app in May partnered with Cointreau to host Margarita Monday events in select cities this summer. Bumble also sponsored events by HBO and Banana Republic, and teamed with Serena Williams on a Super Bowl push to get in front of a broader range of potential users.

BumbleDate, the social platform's most popular segment, was downloaded 700,000 times last month and generated $12 million in revenue, Sensor Tower estimated. While Bumble is free to use, it also has paid services including Bumble Boost and Bumble Coins that unlock additional features to connect with others.