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What marketers can learn from Skims’ campaign starring The White Lotus actors

Skims, US

US – Riding on the success of HBO’s The White Lotus, underwear brand Skims has featured the series’ rising stars Simona Tabasco and Beatrice Grannò in its already viral Valentine’s Day campaign.

Kim Kardashian’s lingerie and shapewear brand Skims has unveiled a campaign with fan-favourite actors who played Lucia and Mia on the cult show, modelling the Fits Everybody collection. The campaign celebrates friendship, women and feeling empowered and confident in your own skin. The activation is outperforming previous campaigns on Instagram and TikTok, where the video racked over 1.2m views, compared to the 40,000–70,000 views Skims content usually averages.

In a savvy marketing move, the campaign doesn’t owe its success solely to celebrity endorsement. The affinity viewers have for the pair and their relatability and youthful spontaneity taps into another shift: striving for the real over the perfect.

Pop culture’s influence on fashion is off the charts. Think: Netflix's Bridgerton birthing Regency core, Eurphoria’s influence on beauty or the goth revival triggered by Netflix's Wednesday. But the partnership ticks other boxes too, namely with its emotional and relatable messaging on body positivity. Overall, its candid quality fits into what young consumers want from the lingerie sector.

Strategic opportunity

Businesses of all budgets and levels of influence can also find ways to bring cultural conversations in their marketing strategies. Such timely and quick-fire reactions drive traffic and spark organic conversations, drawing on defining, pop culture moments

Beauty brand WYOS inspires self-compassion with streamlined care routines

US – The beauty and skincare landscape can be overwhelming to navigate. As a response, newly launched WYOS has created easy-to-use and convenient skincare and haircare in a no-mess, no-waste stick format.

WYOS, which stands for Write Your Own Story, was created to introduce a breath of fresh air to skincare and haircare. Rooted in simplicity and convenience, WYOS launched five ‘take anywhere’ sticks: cleanser, mask, shampoo, shaving suds and moisturiser.

Beyond a less-is-more product ethos, WYOS advocates for kindness and self-love. As such, the brand asks its community to agree to a set of POVs (Pledge of Values), a mock contract stating commitment to: 1) An Attitude of Gratitude, 2) A No Ghosting Guarantee and 3) Connect with Respect. For each pledge, WYOS will donate £0.80 ($1, €0.90) to The Madhappy Foundation, an NGO in the mental health space.

This feel-good, playful and wellness-orientated approach is sure to land well with visual-first, pragmatic and mental health minded youth, who are carving a new space in beauty and skincare

WYOS, US

Strategic opportunity

Marketing beauty to youth is about promoting more than a product. Like WYOS, make sure you connect with your community where they are – physically, digitally and emotionally – ensuring authenticity as a wellbeing ally and feel-good enabler

Stat: Beijing set to become the most popular city destination by 2032

The self-sufficient city by Guallart Architects, Xiong'an

China’s investment in hotels, transport infrastructure and destination spots over the past decade has led to phenomenal growth in its tourism sector. The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) predicts this will continue as Beijing is set to become the world’s most popular city destination. The city’s travel and tourism sector is expected to grow from £26.7bn ($33bn, €30.2bn) now to £62.4bn ($77bn, €70.6bn) by 2032. This would put it ahead of Paris, now ranked as the top destination by WTTC, with a travel sector worth almost £29.1bn ($36bn, €33bn).

In 2022, Shanghai received nearly £24.3bn ($30bn, €27.5bn) in investment to build its tourism sector through high-end consumption, and hosting international exhibitions and festivals that highlight Chinese culture. The city is predicted to become the world’s second most popular city destination by 2032, with a revenue of £57.5bn ($71bn, €65bn). ‘Tourists will always have favourite cities that they will return to,’ says Julia Simpson, president and CEO of WTTC. ‘But as other countries prioritise travel and tourism, we are going to see new and emerging destinations.’