In March, Ulta Beauty made industry headlines when CEO Kecia Steelman announced that the mega-retailer would launch, the following week, on TikTok Shop.
The makeup brand Polite Society launched in August 2023, exclusively with Ulta Beauty. It joined TikTok Shop when the platform launched at the end of that year. The brand was founded by Too Faced founders Jerrod Blandino and Jeremy Johnson. Though it already had its own presence on the platform, this year, Polite Society became one of 17 brands that Ulta Beauty debuted with on TikTok Shop. Others included the retailer’s own Ulta Beauty Collection, plus Noyz, Isima, Made By Mitchell, Dibs, Drmtlgy, Maelys and Squishmallows Fragrances.
Now, Polite Society is rolling out its most ambitious affiliate campaign to date, focused on its hero product, the $32 B.I.G Mouth XL Plump Intensive Lip Plumping Concentrate — one is sold every sixty seconds, according to the brand. The campaign involves seeding B.I.G. Mouth XL to more than 1,000 affiliate creators on TikTok Shop. “We’re two-and-a-half years old — we’re focused on [finding] the opportunities where we can partner with Ulta to accelerate our growth, build our awareness. As a young brand that doesn’t have a celebrity founder or celebrity backing, [those are the] top priorities for us,” said Tom Lusciatti, Polite Society’s svp of global sales, e-commerce and education.
After launching in the retailer’s TikTok Shop, Polite Society approached Ulta to explore how the two parties could further work together to achieve the brand’s goal of continuing to grow its hero SKU. “[The campaign] was our idea. We went to [Ulta] with it, and I would say it came from that challenge of driving both awareness and sales,” Lusciatti said.
For a brand like Polite Society, there are myriad benefits of working with a behemoth like Ulta Beauty on a larger-scale campaign.
The number of packages it would be sending out alone was an area where it was thrilled to have support. “Pushing out 1,000 units of sampling is a big lift. And even prior to that, identifying 1,000 people to send those gifts to is a big lift. So, Ulta has been a huge part of the back-end, logistical side of things,” Lusciatti said, adding that the retailer is also helping manage follow-ups to creators who haven’t posted yet. Ulta focused on selecting creators who had high reach, would generate high gross merchandise value and felt like a fit for both brands, in terms of their potential to help drive awareness and conversion.
But Ulta provided more than just an operational benefit. “TikTok Shop is a numbers game, so if you want to get 300-400 pieces of content, you’re probably pushing out something in the ballpark of 1,000 units of gifting,” Lusciatti said, noting that Ulta’s TikTok Shop sales and engagement numbers have indicated high interest from creators in partnering with the retailer. “[Creators are] excited to work with Ulta directly through TikTok Shop.” Given that gifting and creators are not being paid, the brand can only hope that those gifted will post, but their doing so is not a guarantee.
“There are contests in place, and we elevated the commission rate on all sales of Big Mouth XL to help incentivize the creators to post, make content and really drive sales through the Ulta TikTok Shop,” Lusciatti said of the campaign, which began on June 1 and will run through July 11. The brand still has its own TikTok Shop storefront, but this campaign is intended to drive sales to Ulta Beauty’s TikTok Shop.
As far as those incentives go, a representative for the brand said the commission rate on the product increased by 70%, but they did not respond when asked about the actual commission rate. “[Ulta] has been supporting some of the incentives for creators to engage in the campaign,” Lusciatti said. When asked whether this meant providing financial support, Ulta Beauty did not reply.
“Big Mouth XL is a great product for affiliates, because it has such an impactful before-and-after; it’s a very eye-catching shopping visual,” added Emily Yourman, Polite Society’s head of marketing.
The brief that went out to creators, Lusciatti said, primarily asked them to show the product in action on one side of the mouth — and then show their real-time reaction to its plumping effects. “Not overcomplicating it is where we find the most success, because you know you can tell when someone’s acting or faking,” Yourman said, “And the results are so [apparent] that when people have that true genuine reaction, it’s impactful. That’s what makes people want to buy it.”
