Last weekend, over 4,000 people lined up on New York City’s Mott Street to experience MCo Beauty’s first pop-up. Over the course of the weekend, the brand handed out over 7,500 gift bags, each containing five full-size products. In addition to receiving a gift bag, guests had the opportunity to spin a wheel and win a prize — options ranged from an additional five full-size products to a Glamsquad gift card. The brand’s main goal, according to CMO Meridith Rojas, was to build community.
Rojas acknowledged that pop-ups are a dime a dozen, but, she said, they also provide an opportunity for a brand to connect with its community IRL. “Influencer events are starting to wane, [but] we’re starting to see an uptick in the importance of investing in the community and community-facing opportunities,” she said. “We’re not just posting content, but we’re also inviting them into the brand.” She added that the event was an opportunity for fans to understand “what luxury for everyone really means, why we are rallying behind that point and why we want them to join us in that rally.”
MCo, which is known for its unapologetic dupes of higher-end products, was, this time, looking to dupe an experience — the experience of shopping at a luxury beauty retailer like Sephora. The pop-up’s gift bags featured pink and black stripes, mimicking the retailer’s signature bags, as did the pop-up’s interior. But the cash registers said “free.” As retailers like Sephora do, MCo featured its minis at its registers.
“It’s a physical manifestation of our mission,” said Linnea Stalberg, head of brand engagement at Vidacorp North America, MCo’s parent company. “And [this was] the first time we did something IRL [to give] back to our community.”
For MCo’s part, duping an experience was “not just to be cheeky or to stop the scroll, but [instead] to prove our point that we’re really cutting that velvet rope for our community to have access to prestige at mass prices,” Rojas said, adding, “We want to invite everyone into that.” Timing the event so close to Black Friday made sense, too, to spotlight the fact that, “There’s really no deal like free,” she said.
What’s more, Rojas said, people are currently struggling financially — a sentiment many brands are echoing and responding to — and so her team wanted to go big. “At a time when people can’t pay their rent, the last thing they’re thinking about doing is going and splurging on $1,000 in makeup, so we wanted to come in and just be outrageous.”
Though everything within the walls of the pop-up was free, MCo prompting guests to visit a Target just a couple blocks away — the brand recently expanded to full distribution at the retailer.
The Instagram account @nyc_forfree, which has 669,000 followers, attended and promoted the pop-up, and on Sunday, the brand held a meet-and-greet with 15-year-old content creator Embreigh Courtlyn, who has 4.9 million TikTok followers and also helped promote the pop-up. Courtlyn is younger than other creators the brand has worked with, but, Rojas said, out if over 8,000 partners, her content’s engagement is in the top 10.
For attendees, MCo wanted to ensure the full pop-up experience was enjoyable, even waiting in lineto get inside. “On Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., we had free hot cocoa for everybody in line,” handed out by brand ambassadors and security, Stalberg said. “We really wanted to make sure that the experience started in line and people were having a good time, and that it was safe.”
Once inside, brand fans could pose with a life-size compact, take selfies in social-ready mirrors and spin the wheel. “We created a really fun, interactive environment for people,” Stalberg said.
One young fan even lined up on Saturday night, excited to meet Courtlyn. MCo quickly caught wind of this on social media and arranged for her to have VIP access to the pop-up. “We let her in early. She created so much content with Embreigh — it was so cute. It just shows the power of community, and it shows the power of these creators and their fan bases,” Stalberg said. Rojas added, “At the end of the day, we’re the brand that is the conduit between [the fan] and this person she really admires. And so we have a responsibility to try to make that experience as incredible and memorable as possible.”
But MCo didn’t rely solely on Courtlyn’s influence. On Saturday, there was no creator in attendance: “The brand was the star, and the line was still three hours long,” Rojas said. All told, in the days since the pop-up, the brand has seen over 600 organic social mentions with over 6 million organic video views, a 33% increase in engagement and over 8,000 new followers across its platforms. “It really confirmed to us that our community shows up,” she said.
Week in review
Brand launch of the week: Dannijo Pro
You probably remember Jodie Snyder Morel and Danielle Snyder Shorenstein’s cult-favorite jewelry brand, Dannijo, which launched in 2008. Now, the sisters have a new venture: Dannijo Pro, a collection of fashion-forward apparel pieces for basketball lovers, at a time when the intersection between sports and fashion has never been hotter. Glossy Pop caught up with Snyder Shorenstein to learn more about the duo’s new business venture.
Why did you decide to launch Dannijo Pro?
“During the pandemic, everything changed. I moved to San Francisco, Jodie to Florida — it was the first time since launching Dannijo that we weren’t side by side. We’d built our lives in New York, inseparable, and suddenly the world, and we, were on pause. In San Francisco, during a quiet and isolating stretch, Warriors games became my lifeline, and Jodie, always the sports fanatic, kept saying no one was making great clothes for women who love sports. I started creating my own game-day fits from men’s tees and jerseys, adding stitching, paint and crystals. Players, wives and fans noticed. And just like that, Jodie and I were back in our shared language: instinct, emotion and sisterhood.”
Who do you imagine the audience for this brand will be?
“She’s the girl who marries fashion and fandom. She might be the true sports fan — the one who knows every stat, never misses a game and wants pieces that feel elevated, but not expected. Or, she could be the fashion-forward girl who couldn’t name a single player but loves the energy, the attitude and the aesthetic of the brand. She cares about style and showing up in something that feels cool and intentional.”
How was the experience of obtaining the necessary licensing?
“Sports is a completely different ballgame than fashion and accessories. The NBA receives hundreds of licensee applications each year — but we’re genuinely changing the game. We’re bringing a new level of product, merging fashion and trend with the energy of sport in a way that hasn’t been done before.”
How will you market and promote Dannijo Pro?
“Our strategy is centered around building cultural relevance at the intersection of fashion, basketball and community. We’re focused on high-impact, high-credibility touchpoints that reinforce the brand’s identity and introduce Dannijo Pro to the right audience in the right moments. Key Pillars will include cultural moments in basketball, community-driven IRL activations, social media storytelling and influencer talent partnerships.”
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