A Beauty Brand and a Woman-Owned Agency Are Targeting Your Negative Self-Talk

Nineteen times a day, or more than once every waking hour—that’s how
often consumers talk negatively about themselves according to a Tula
Skincare study. In a space that has historically capitalized on
insecurity, the brand is establishing itself as an industry champion for
self-love.

“The way the beauty industry approaches marketing is clearly fueling
that negative voice in our heads,” CEO Savannah Sachs told Adweek.

“We want to shine a spotlight on this issue and force a conversation
within ourselves, in our industry and on social media.”

In its first brand campaign, Tula is reminding consumers that they
should meet themselves with the same grace and kindness that they
offer the people they love. The multi-platform campaign consists of a
national TV spot, a New York Times ad and more than 400 influencer
partnerships.

The spot was produced by Quirk Creative, a Brooklyn-based, woman-
owned agency that specializes in video campaigns.
Quirk Creative, Tula Skincare

“If we imagine our harshest self critique being delivered to others, it’s
pretty startling and enough to shift your thinking,” said Wren Sieber,
Quirk’s associative creative director. “The spot really came together in
showing that what we say to ourselves matters.”

Pushing purpose over products
Quirk decided on a spot without product shots early on in the creative
process. This allowed the agency to lean heavily into real-world
storytelling, instead of the more typical “polished commercial look,”
according to Sieber.

“As advertisers, you don’t always get to touch on a human moment and
resonate with the consumer on a more emotional level,” she said. “This
spot does that, and that’s really exciting for all of us.”

The video campaign was coupled with a full-page ad, which ran in the
style section of Sunday’s New York Times. According to Sachs, it
features “crowdsourced negative self-talk,” or real words that Tula
employees have told themselves, like “I have more zits than my
teenage children” and “No one will ever love a face like this.”

Tula is encouraging consumers to both recognize and challenge their negative self-
talk. Quirk Creative, Tula Skincare

Influencer marketing, reimagined

The brand’s customer survey also found that “bad” skin days have a
negative impact on self-confidence for 60% of respondents, and less
than 1% feel that social media makes them feel more confident. After
feeling stunned by these results, and recognizing the link between
platform use and depression, Sachs knew influencers needed to play a
role in this campaign.

The team of 400 creators, which include Shawn Johnson and
Christina Milian, will start posting branded content across Instagram
and TikTok today.

The campaign also kicks off a new requirement in Tula’s content
guidelines that partners cannot add filters to their photos. Influencer
marketing is a core part of Tula’s strategy, and according to Sachs,
the brand works with more than 1,200 creators at any given time.
“With both the TV campaign and influencer partnerships, we want to
make sure we’re spreading this important message as far and wide as.