How Alexis Bittar’s Bittarverse took over TikTok—and drove real sales

The rise of brand storytelling as entertainment has never been more evident than in Alexis Bittar’s Bittarverse, a hilarious, viral social media series that has redefined the performance marketing landscape. By combining data-driven strategy with the jewelry label’s creative disruption, Alexis Bittar and the Bittarverse are a hallmark example of turning usually non-quantifiable brand awareness into measurable revenue. Jessica Steele, VP of retail sales and marketing at Alexis Bittar, and Brook Shepard, CEO and co-founder of Mason Interactive, joined John Dioso, editor of Ad Age Studio 30, at the Ad Age NextGen Marketing Summit in New York on March 5 to discuss the bridge between social engagement and performance marketing to in-person, experiential activations for an immersive experience. Birth of the Bittarverse After taking a five-year hiatus from his eponymous brand, Bittar reacquired the luxury jewelry and handbag company in 2021. “When Alexis returned to the brand, he knew we couldn’t just put out more of the same content,” Steele said of the unique perspective and outside-the-box audience growth ideas Bittar brought to the table. “He wanted to create something disruptive.” The result was the Bittarverse, which Steele described as “a fashion telenovela for social media,” blending satire, luxury and over-the-top storytelling. The series follows the escapades of Margeaux Goldrich, an Upper East Side socialite dripping in Alexis Bittar jewelry, and Hazel/“Jules,” her long-suffering yet fiercely loyal personal assistant. Their dynamic—equal parts absurd and glamorous—captivated audiences and fueled the brand’s viral success. Along the way, Bittarverse has featured a rotating cast of celebrity guest stars, including Susan Sarandon, a couple Real Housewives of New York and other pop culture icons, further blurring the lines between luxury branding and entertainment. The Bittarverse became a viral sensation, traveling across social media seemingly at the speed of light. “We amassed millions of impressions across platforms like TikTok and Instagram. But the real challenge,” Steele noted, “was ensuring that engagement led to real-world conversions. How do we take that brand buzz and turn it into actual traffic and revenue? That’s what we spent the past year figuring out.” Nailing a 360-degree marketing strategy For all brands, particularly direct-to-consumer (DTC), Shepard said balancing brand awareness with performance marketing is critical. Alexis Bittar partnered with Mason Interactive to help shape the brand strategies and fiscal approach. “If you focus solely on return on ad spend (ROAS), you’ll market yourself out of business,” Shepard explained. “You have to invest in brand-building while maintaining high-performance marketing efficiency.” Mason Interactive’s approach centered on de-averaging marketing metrics, ensuring that performance-driven channels generated immediate sales while brand storytelling expanded the customer base. What’s more, the Bittarverse series doesn’t end on social media; rather, it runs across multiple channels within their holistic strategy. “The Bittarverse doesn’t just live online—it thrives across multiple touchpoints, including in-store activations and collaborations with reality TV stars” from shows with rabidly popular fan bases like Bravo’s “Real Housewives,” Shepard added. For DTC brands, shoppable content and organic search strategy play a massive role in converting engagement into direct sales. Steele explained how dedicated landing pages were built to capture search interest around Bittarverse characters, optimizing SEO-driven content for conversion. The result? A 100% increase in revenue from organic landing pages. “This wasn’t just about creating viral content—it was about making sure that content had a clear path to purchase,” Steele said. Bridging digital and physical retail Unlike traditional DTC brands that rely solely on digital sales, Alexis Bittar integrates in-person experiences into its DTC strategy, including driving customers to its brick-and-mortar shops. “We learned that our audience wasn’t just engaging with our content—they were emotionally invested,” Steele shared. “That’s why we needed to bring Bittarverse to life.” One example was a meet-and-greet event at Alexis Bittar’s SoHo retail location featuring Bittarverse characters Margeaux and Jules, which generated lines around the block. In-store activations including “Margeaux’s Top Picks” curated product displays, iPads looping Bittarverse episodes in stores and exclusive in-store drops tied to viral moments. These activations increased foot traffic and boosted customer lifetime value, proving that a DTC model can benefit from a seamless online-to-offline experience. The future of brand storytelling As brands become hubs of self-expression, self-identity and individualism, it’s more critical than ever for brands to maintain an open, honest dialogue with their consumer base. And because brands are also increasingly embracing entertainment itself as a marketing strategy, both Steele and Shepard agree that immersive content will play an even bigger role in shaping brand success. “We treat Instagram like a TV network: Our content is episodic, characters have arcs and audiences keep coming back,” Steele said. “Consumers today expect more than just ads, they want stories that resonate.” Yet not every DTC brand can adopt this model. “This isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy,” Steele noted. “Brands need to ask: ‘Does this align with our ethos? Is this true to our audience?’ If so, the potential for engagement and conversion is massive.” By integrating entertainment, performance marketing and experiential activations, Alexis Bittar and Mason Interactive have created a blueprint for success—one where brand storytelling isn’t just about awareness, but about driving real, measurable revenue. About Mason Interactive Since 2008, Mason Interactive has been the place where data, design, and strategy work together to drive exceptional results for clients. Managing billions of advertising dollars for global brands, startups, and public universities, Mason specializes in scalable growth marketing solutions. Ad Age Studio 30 Ad Age Studio 30 is the creative content arm of Ad Age. Built on the same bedrock of journalistic integrity, Ad Age Studio 30 specializes in custom and sponsored content that resonates with our audience. To partner with Ad Age Studio 30, email James Palma at jpalma@adage.com.

How Alexis Bittar’s Bittarverse took over TikTok—and drove real sales

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