• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, August 1, 2024

Sure, people may still think of Nicole Richie as a red-carpet regular with the kind of Hollywood cachet that’s kept her on VIP lists for decades.

But as the entrepreneur and A-lister moves into her 40s, she’s also the perfect pitchwoman for Estée Lauder's Advanced Night Repair portfolio.

In the new “Night Night Club” campaign, the brand acknowledges that for many millennials, getting to bed early means more than access to a coveted nightclub.

“We’re a science-led brand, and we understand that we are known for stressing that when trying to get consumers' attention,” says Cyndi Pierre, executive director of consumer engagement, North America. But with so much new competition in the nighttime skincare category, “we needed to think outside the box.”

Thanks to social listening, the company recognized that for the millennial women it considers its primary target, “your night-times ideas are different than your clubbing days. The most exclusive spot in town is your bed.”

As the brand switched from “speaking about the efficacy of the product into a more emotive approach,” Richie emerged as the perfect pitchwoman, Pierre tells Marketing Daily. The typical Estee Lauder customer is multidimensional. “She’s a businesswoman, and yes, she’s about family, but she’s also punchy, very spirited, with a lot of personality.”

Richie “is all of these things.” And at 42, she is familiar, especially with millennials going through a nostalgic phase. “They know her, and they love her,” Pierre says.

In its more recent sales results, Estee Lauder reported a 5% gain in sales, with skincare products increasing the most. Pierre says innovation in nighttime skincare is one reason for that. And while sales of Lauder’s nighttime products are up, so are sales at many competing brands.

That’s led to increased conversations on social media. “So, while we’re continuing to stress efficacy in stores, we’re taking a more unexpected social-first approach, connecting them to in-store moments. It’s a way to widen and modernize the perception of Estee Lauder.”

Shadow created the ads where Richie reinvents the definition of “bottle service,” waking up with(V)ery (I)ncredibly (P)lump skin. “Look at me,” she says to the camera. “Is it 2007 again?”