Estée Lauder turns to video games to launch anti-aging serum

Estée Lauder is turning to a seemingly unlikely way to reach customers for its new Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex—video gaming. The brand’s ANRcade site is a global, mobile-focused effort with four games that mix fun with some product information from makemepulse, Paris. Backed by digital and social ads, it’s aimed at a younger audience than the brand typically reaches, says Jon Roman, senior VP-global consumer marketing and online for Estée Lauder. People also can reach the games through the brand’s social channels and at esteelauder.com. The games, also designed for desktop, include Repair Racer, which lets players speed along a racetrack to collect points, avoid obstacles, and learn about the serum’s speed and “youth-generating power.” Serum Quest is a sort of ’80s throwback where the brand’s little brown bottle zaps environmental aggressors and collects golden serum drops, all to the end of helping the serum’s antioxidant protection. The launch plays on two realities of the pandemic—skincare sales are doing a lot better than color cosmetics and consumers staying at home more are doing a lot more gaming. “For the younger consumer, we really wanted to reinforce that the serum is an important step in their routine, especially their night routine,” Roman says. “So we wanted to find a more fun and innovative way of talking about the product benefits.” The aim also was to have something global that could also be easily customized by region and sales channel, for example, to run inside Tmall or WeChat in China, Roman says. Each affiliate can customize offers that come up within the games, such as free samples or other incentives.

Estée Lauder turns to video games to launch anti-aging serum

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