Garnier, part of the international French cosmetics company, L’Oreal, is already known the world-over for their innovative skin and hair products. Looking to connect with their target market of young beauty lovers, the brand recognized a key opportunity to align with the fun and glamour of Melbourne’s iconic Spring Racing Carnival.

Each year, the Spring Racing Carnival draws more than 100,000 people into Melbourne with a calendar of events, fashion, food and entertainment. Using Brandcrush’s innovative booking platform, Garnier was able to identify targetted accommodation and hospitality in and around the city through which they could offer a selection of their products to racegoers in a relevant, contextual environment.

The brand booked their Product Placement & Sponsorship activation into six premium hotel, Airbnb and restaurant locations. They provided samples of the Garnier Hydrabomb Tissue Mask, Garnier Hydrabomb Eye Mask and Garnier Skinactive Micellar Cleansing Water for consumers to feel refreshed and rejuvenated after their fun-filled day of festivities.

Staff at each space placed the samples on the countertops or in bathrooms of hotels/Airbnb’s for guests to enjoy during their stay. They also launched these products at a premium bar and restaurant in Sydney, The Bucket List, who hosted a special Melbourne Cup event with hundreds of attendees watching the race. Along with the samples, marketing materials encouraged consumers to find the brand online where they could enjoy a special Spring Carnival offer.

The activation was a huge success. For a cost-per-reach of just $0.43, Garnier reached more than 13,000 potential customers, building brand awareness and driving interest for the in-store product. Feedback from both consumers and the Host businesses has been overwhelmingly positive.

The campaign also gave the brand invaluable feedback directly from consumers, with each sampling location providing a detailed Activation Report complete with plenty of fun images for use on social media.