Benefit: Laughter really is the best cosmetic

Client work
luke.johnson

It might be an unwelcome reminder of how old we are, but it’s a fact that many of us have been sharing our life on social media for over a decade. Facebook launched in 2004, Twitter in 2006, and even Instagram is now well into its school years at the ripe old age of seven.

And what this means, aside from a decade’s worth of ‘friends’ we met at parties and can barely remember, is that we all have years of embarrassing posts, declarations of besotted love, and fashion faux pas which we wish we could take back.

So when Benefit asked us for a campaign which would help to support the launch of its new Boi-ing concealer range – the idea of ConcealMySecret.com was born.

Benefit wanted something innovative and disruptive, so we thought, what better than a microsite which would allow users to conceal what they no longer wanted others to see, just like Benefit’s new concealer range. See what we did there?

What really cemented this idea for us, was that it made us all laugh. From the initial brainstorm, to the hours of research scouring our (and each other’s) Facebook feeds for inspiration – the idea of getting to relive those cringe-worthy moments before finally getting the option to conceal them forever, was a winner.



So, we launched the unique microsite which enabled users to scour their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts for embarrassing old posts. They could either use our preset list of suggested keywords or through a personalised search engine to reveal those dreaded moments, and give users the option to conceal or leave them (only for the truly brave).

But we had to make it clear that ConcealMySecret.com was designed to help people cover-up what users no longer wanted people to see, rather than whitewash their social presence.



So we launched the site in three stages: Buzz, which saw influencers start to tease about the upcoming site; Live, where the site became publicly available and was supported through a series of photography-focused social posts – each with a humorous twist; and finally, Blend, which saw the product range’s connection with the campaign more formally introduced through the creative assets.



The most exciting part for us was getting to play with the site during the testing stages. Not to mention getting to have a good old laugh at the crazy haircuts and soppy ex-boyfriend / girlfriend posts which came to light.

We’re incredibly proud to have have had the chance to work with Benefit on such a innovative campaign, and if you’d like the chance to #ConcealMySecret … you still have until August 25th 2017.

Have a go at: www.concealmysecret.com.