BEHIND OLIVIA RODRIGO'S GUTS WORLD TOUR🎵
SKIMS' TV DEBUT, STARFACE'S NEW STAR, AND MORE
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STARS AND SECRET LABS IN OUTER SPACE:
Recently, brands across categories have been leaning into cosmic and outer space-themed campaigns to spotlight new products, or build brand awareness. Before diving into these examples, it’s worth asking why this trend is gaining so much traction. While we know about the allure of escapism, what about it is so powerful right now? In the past couple of weeks, brands like Reformation and Saie have begun their initiatives to promote voting. Could the looming presence of election season make the idea of a different planet so appealing? Are these visuals clever tactics for marketing products as something so, forgive us, out of this world? Or do metallic, shiny colors simply create a ‘cool’ aesthetic? Let’s take a look:
SKIMS’ National TV Debut: This past weekend, SKIMS aired their first-ever national TV spot, created in collaboration with Wieden+Kennedy Portland. We’ve all probably seen the outer space-themed ad by now, so we won’t recap it again. Instead, we want to highlight something we found interesting. In an era where celebrities are distancing themselves from being the ‘face’ of their brands, the decision to cast Kim as the protagonist was an interesting choice. We wonder whether this decision was aimed to generate buzzy PR for the brand, or if it was to reinforce the idea that S(KIMS) = Kim.
Starface’s Newest Star: Devon Lee Carlson is the star of Starface’s newest star, “Earth Star,” available in four neutral colors: Shell, Clay, Pebble, and Moonstone. We were so excited about this drop, one that the brand had been teasing at many New York and Paris Fashion Week shows, as we’ve discussed before. The entire campaign was focused on the concept of this patch ‘returning to Earth,’ a fitting choice given the brand’s name: Starface. Regardless, both the galactic-themed teaser assets and the campaign styling were perfection. In our opinion, everything they do is perfection.
Kylie Cosmetics Enters Fragrance: It’s hard to keep up with Kylie, between her new seltzer and clothing lines, but she just launched her first perfume, Cosmic. As we’ve learned on social, this fragrance has allegedly been in the works for over two years. At least that’s what she, Kylie Cosmetics, and Kris have been saying over and over. We’d love to understand the strategy behind these launches, but until then, we’re curious to see what else Kylie has in store for this year.
LAUNCHES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Brightland Goes To Sicily: Can we take a moment to drool over the campaign photography for this launch? It’s so good. Despite the rapid launch and collab cycle that exists in the consumer world today, Brightland takes their time when it comes to product development and we respect them for it. Every time they introduce a new product, it’s clear that a lot of thought, and most importantly quality, went into production. We’re VERY excited to see what they have lined up for Q2 and beyond.
Djerf Avenue’s Next Chapter: We all kind of saw this coming, but Matilda Djerf’s brand Djerf Avenue just announced their expansion into beauty. Before any details were revealed, we ran a poll asking people if they thought the products would be in the makeup and skincare category, or hair care and styling. The majority, 76% to be precise, said hair care and styling, and you’d be right. They’re launching two products, “Djerf Avenue Beauty Breezy Styling Mist,” and “Djerf Avenue Beauty On the Go Styling Gel.” These products reflect Matilda’s signature hairstyles, including a slick back bun or pony, and her iconic voluminous blowouts. Now, we can all pretend to have hair like Matilda’s!
Milk Makeup’s Newest Drop: We meant it when we said we want what Milk Makeup’s product development team is on because…wow. First, they launched the viral “Cooling Water Jelly Tint,” then the “Kush Lip Oils,” and now the "Cloud Glow Priming Foam.” Some consumers love all these new products, but others think it’s a little bit too much. Given the push against overconsumption, will their incredibly speedy launch cycle continue past Q1, or will more consumers become annoyed? It could go either way.
AND NOW FOR ONE OF OUR FAVORITE FEATURES:
We may be known for posting about Brands, and the Things they drop, but here at PEOPLE BRANDS AND THINGS, we love covering People the most. Creatives, especially. Since day one, our guiding principle has been to showcase the work of creatives across roles and industries. Today, we’re THRILLED to be featuring two individuals whose work is truly next level.
Meet Polina Zakharova and Sveta Yermolayeva, the masterminds behind HARD FEELINGS, a Design and Creative Studio that has worked with clients like Gucci, the NBA, and The Weeknd, among others. They wear many hats, but here’s a quick overview:
Polina Zakharova: Video Artist, CGI Director, Installations, Stages
Sveta Yermolayeva: Multimedia Producer
We had the privilege of talking to Polina about our favorite project of theirs: working on Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS World Tour. Yes, you read that right. Iconic. Polina shared insights into their role within the creative and production teams, how a project like this differs from a traditional ad campaign, and their strategy for creative throughout the show. Without further ado, let’s get into it: