PERFECT MARC JACOBS, the newest fragrance from Marc Jacobs Fragrances, is a celebration of self-love, originality, and you – inspired by Marc Jacobs’ personal mantra: “I am perfect as I am,” which is symbolized by a tattoo of the word “PERFECT” on his wrist. The concept, which supports the belief and positive affirmation that everyone is perfect in their own unique way, is brought to life through the campaign that features 42 diverse cast members.
At launch, the goal was to generate large-scale awareness, massive engagement, and introduce the new fragrance to gen z and millennial audiences. TikTok was the obvious social media partner to amplify PERFECT messaging, as the platform naturally encourages users to create upbeat short-form video that allows them to authentically express themselves, aligning seamlessly with brand values. Additionally, TikTok has a core gen-z and millennial demographic native to its platform.
To successfully connect with users, PERFECT MARC JACOBS was the first fragrance brand to launch a global Hashtag Challenge with TikTok, kicking off the #PerfectAsIAm challenge in the US, followed by the UK and Canada. The challenge inspired users to share their own #PerfectAsIAm content by duetting a brand-produced lead video with Rickey Thompson (2.4M TikTok followers), which demonstrated this idea in a fun, joyful and creative way.
To effectively reach and engage the target audience, while successfully communicating the uplifting messaging behind the PERFECT MARC JACOBS concept, the brand put #PerfectAsIAm storytelling in the hands of the users through the unique TikTok global Hashtag Challenge. Dynamic creator Rickey Thompson, who authentically embodied the campaign’s spirit, served as an official “hype man” to lead the challenge. Rickey brought the #PerfectAsIAm message to life in his own distinct and encouraging style, offering words of praise paired with spritzes of the fragrance — all while Lizzo's "Good as Hell" played as the official soundtrack in the background. The TikTok community was then challenged to create a side-by-side duet with Ricky’s video, reacting to being spritzed while confidently showing off their personality and expressing their interpretation of how they are #PerfectAsIAm.
To extend the Hashtag Challenge relevance in key markets, the brand partnered with additional TikTok creators (listed below) in each region to kick-off the duets with Ricky, generating a wave of views, likes, and UGC across TikTok worldwide. The brand chose TikTok creators that organically shared content around self-expression and naturally represented the PERFECT MARC JACOBS brand values to participate. Additionally, select #PerfectAsIAm TikTok creator content from TikTok influencer partners was leveraged for paid media driving to e-commerce during a period when in-store shopping was low due to the pandemic.
This was the first time a fragrance brand created a global Hashtag Challenge, and the high level of views, engagement, and UGC reveals that it resonated with users across the platform on a global scale. The #PerfectAsIAm global Hashtag Challenge has achieved a record 10B+ video views to-date, leading to 2M+ video creations by 950K+ TikTok users worldwide – exceeding all industry benchmarks and expectations. Furthermore, PERFECT MARC JACOBS became the #1 fragrance launch of 2020 in the US, UK and Canada – the key markets that participated in the challenge.
Global TikTok partners highlights included:
TikTok Results:
Sales Results:
