Blodgett led Bare to find ways to use comedy as part of the company’s brand to connect with customers in unexpected ways and invite them to play with Bare Escentuals. Blodgett explains:
As one example, Bare Escentuals sells cosmetics in chain stores like Sephora and Ulta, where its products are displayed alongside every other brand’s cosmetics. A customer walks into the shop, sees row after row of eye shadows and foundation powders, and it all blurs together. Blodgett describes it as a massive 5,000 square feet of sameness. However, she says:
She adds that the beauty industry has been known to take itself a little too seriously, and the same messages in the large beauty retailer chains can be overwhelming and repetitive.
Another example: Blodgett encouraged employees to send handwritten letters to customers (they must be handwritten), in which they talk about themselves. The goal was to connect with the people paying the bills.
Blodgett says it worked because it was unexpected for both parties – the one writing the note and the one receiving it.
In a decidedly unsubtle example, Blodgett describes Bare’s advertising strategy for launching a new product, a matte version of its luminous liquid foundation. (That is cosmetics talk for the texture of the makeup). The company created a series of billboards and signs placed both inside the company and out on the streets. The signs read “Matte is your friend with benefits” and variations on that theme. Blodgett said the company went a step further, “We asked Paul from sales to record a message on the company’s 800 number, calling himself Matt(e) and putting on a sexy voice.”
You might say that attitude is all well and good for using humor in clever advertising campaigns, but what about for tense situations, or when a company is taking on difficult or emotional products or projects? Blodgett gained this insight when she joined a nonprofit board that deals with a challenging social problem: Humor defuses tension and helps people stay focused and motivated when facing tough situations.
Up Next: Lessons of Levity: Three Humor Tips from Leslie Blodgett