EventStream – Blue Kiehl’s

07 Mar

 

From experiential and guerrilla marketing to viral campaigns and pop-ups, EventStream is where we comment on the events that have caught our eye from across the world. Today it’s Blue Kiehl’s Zoolander campaign.

 

Kiehl’s – The #BlueSteel of event staff

Even if it’s not for you, it’s very likely that you’d still have heard the hype about Zoolander 2. The publicity and marketing surrounding the latest instalment of the Zoolander franchise has been impressive. From crashing Paris Fashion Week to landing the front cover of Vogue, Derek has proved that he’s still the world’s number 1 model. and there was one piece of experiential marketing that particularly caught our eye; The Derek Zoolander Centre for People Who Don’t Age Good (DZCFPWDAG).

 

The concept

 

Kiehl's
NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 09: Models during Kiehl’s Zoolander Center Opening on February 9, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Kiehls)

 

Fans of the Zoolander franchise will remember that at the end of the first film, the lovable but intellectually challenged supermodel fulfilled his admirable dream of opening The Derek Zoolander Centre for Kids Who Can’t Read Good. To coincide with the release of Zoolander 2, Kiehl’s skincare decided to pay tribute to this fictional centre by opening the similar, real-life Derek Zoolander Centre for People Who Don’t Age Good (DZCFPWDAG).

The event was complimentary and open to all members of the public in New York City. Visitors of The Derek Zoolander Centre for People Who Don’t Age Good were guided along their ‘youthification journey’ by promotional models and event staff. Each step of the “Youthification Programme” had its own dedicated activation area within the centre to target various ailments associated with ageing. Promotional models were used throughout the building to assist people with the hand catwalk and selfie station. Staff were carefully profiled to fit each area within the centre.

 

The campaign

Kiehl’s hadn’t engaged in paid media throughout its 165-year history until now. They teamed up with Night Agency and Paramount Pictures to create the centre in a bid to inject a breath of fresh air into the skincare brand. As with anything associated with Derek Zoolander, the event was quite the spectacle. The centre opened at the beginning of February and it was certainly a sight to behold with an army of male models wearing silver suits and piano key neckties in homage to Will Ferrell’s character, Mugatu. The promotional staff rode down the leopard print carpet on Razor scooters whilst trumpets and drones were added as an integral and oh-so-subtle part of the show.

Naturally, the launch garnered a lot of interest. After the grand opening, guests were invited to walk along the leopard-print carpet and into the centre, where promotional staff and models introduced them to the new 6.5-step Youthification Program. Keihl’s and Paramount also showed videos of success stories from actors who had undergone the youthification program. In the video above, you’ll hear Alec Baldwin talking about the amazing anti-ageing properties of Kiehl’s skincare. You won’t recognise him though as the effects are so amazing that is childhood youth has been reinstated! Other famous people also released and shared similar videos on YouTube which really helped the campaign to pick up traction on social media.

 

The highlight

 

The highlight of the campaign was seeing a brand like Kiehl’s embracing the trend of experiential marketing for the first time in its 165 year history. Zoolander has quite the cult following, so it was great to see this fictional centre brought to life in a way that worked for Kiehl’s and also complemented the movie’s marketing campaign.

 

The result

The campaign generated significant interest on social media with the hashtag #BlueKiehl being used on both Twitter and Instagram. With websites like Mashable picking up on the event, it’s fair to say that it was a success. Kiehl’s even branded up some of their best products with Derek Zoolander’s face to endorse the products.

 

If, to paraphrase Derek, you need help finding “really, really ridiculously good looking” promotional staff, contact us to see how we can help.