Clinique’s New NFT Empowers its Consumers to Enter the Metaverse
Clinique launched the brand’s first NFT digital collection to increase customer loyalty and add marketing weight to its premium products.
The NFT product, inspired by the colors of two main products, is presented in a dynamic digital sphere model in three versions, not for sale but as a reward for a campaign launched by the brand on social media. The campaign requires users to sign up for the Clinique smart reward and then post videos and photos of “stories of optimism” on Instagram, Tiktok, and Twitter with the Clinique hashtag.
Access to NFT is only available to members through the loyalty program. The three winners receive Black Honey (often out of stock and currently unavailable), in addition to once-yearly physical products. For added excitement, the winners will be announced on social media by actors Emilia Clarke and Melissa Barrera, Clinique’s ambassadors.
For Estée Lauder Group, this choice is not only a bold experiment but a timely way to jump on a fast-moving, emerging technology train.
“At Clinique, we’re continuously searching for opportunities to innovate and provide consumers with unique, engaging ways to interact with our brand,” says Carolyn Dawkins, Senior Vice President of Clinique Global Online, Consumer Engagement & Product Marketing. “In the world of NFTs, brand authenticity and consumer excitement are critical, and we think our approach really delivers. These NFTs are a uniquely contemporary way to celebrate loyalty and put our consumers in the driver’s seat, with storytelling and engagement at its core. Today’s launch is just the beginning of Clinique’s journey in the metaverse as we continue to identify ways to meet consumers where they are through modern omnichannel experiences.”
Metaverse is a hypothetical iteration of the Internet as a single, universal and immersive virtual world that is facilitated by the use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) headsets.
Clinique also sees a massive opportunity in the metaverse, although this is still largely uncharted territory for the beauty industry. Clinique had to forge its path forward with no concrete case to follow. Dawkins added that Clinique wanted to create something true to its brand, prioritizing a “high tech and high touch” experience and continuing to explore ways to turn NFT into something meaningful for consumers.
It remains to be seen whether this path will genuinely lead to a meta-universe for Clinique or even Estee Lauder and whether NFT can empower brands in the long run. Still, at least this effort may light the way forward for the entire industry’s pursuit and attempts at NFT.
