Yves Saint Laurent Beauty ties Web3 to online shopping experience

Dive Brief:

Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) Beauty on Jan. 30 will launch a two-part Web3 campaign, per details shared with Marketing Dive. The effort, in collaboration with Wunderman Thompson France and tech partner Arianee, celebrates the launch of Black Opium le Parfum.
In the first part of the campaign, NFTs will be gifted to those that purchase the new fragrance via the brand's online store in France, the U.S., the U.K. and Australia. Consumers who download the YSL Beauty wallet app can claim one of two different NFTs, which will in turn open access to either a gift voucher, exclusive content or the private sale of a second Web3 activation.
With its two-part Web3 campaign, YSL Beauty is demonstrating how NFTs can be tied to and supplement online shopping experiences. In a purpose-driven element, all revenue generated by NFT sales will be donated to partner charities of the Abuse is Not Love program that fights against intimate partner violence.

Dive Insight:

YSL Beauty's forthcoming campaign demonstrates how retail and beauty brands can tie online shopping experiences to emerging Web3 technologies like NFTs, which have remained part of marketer playbooks despite the collapse of the larger market for the blockchain-based tech and could be primed for a resurgence.

“This latest release within the ‘YSL Beauty Blocks’ collection enables us to welcome a new audience into web3 and to test the potential of NFTs when integrated into an online shopping experience," said Diane Hecquet, the brand's chief digital and marketing officer.

The effort around the launch of Black Opium le Parfum features several components that could either deepen engagement or cause friction for some consumers. In the first part of the campaign, consumers who purchase the fragrance in several markets will have access to a YSL Beauty Night Block NFT (available in 2,000 units) or a rarer edition that is limited to 14 units and entitles owners to a bottle of the fragrance and a curated YSL Beauty kit.

The NFTs in the first drop will grant access to separate experiences: access to the private sales of the second part of the Web3 activation, a yslbeauty.com gift voucher, or exclusive content created by master perfumer Nathalie Lorson. Owners of the YSL Beauty Block NFTs will then be able to purchase a second round of NFTs designed in collaboration with to-be-revealed female artists, proceeds of which will support the Abuse is Not Love program — layering a purpose-driven element on the campaign.

Previously, YSL partnered with Web3 platform P00Ls for its Golden Block and Pride Blocks drops, which helped it build a community of 24,000 NFT holders. The YSL NFTs are minted on the Polygon blockchain via Arianee protocol.

Despite the market crash around NFTs, blockchain technology remains on the minds of marketers, 41% of whom are planning to use the technology to support their advertising strategies in 2023, per Deloitte’s recent Global Marketing Trends report.