Free rein: Maybelline goes viral with new video

New York – In a break from the brand’s traditional advertising campaigns, Maybelline New York has enlisted the talents of Sh*t Fashion Girls Say character P’trique to create a humorous viral campaign announcing model Charlotte Free as the cosmetics company’s new spokesperson.

The #TopChicret video depicts P’trique, aka Patrick Pope, spreading the news that Free is the new face of Maybelline to a host of New York fashion industry figures, including designer Betsey Johnson, Chrissie Miller and Lucky Magazine’s John Jannuzzi.

By recruiting the star of an internet meme, adopting Twitter-related vocabulary (‘hashtag top chic-ret’) and showing P’trique using an iPad, Maybelline is trying to connect with younger, more technology-savvy consumers. As a result, #TopChicret became a New York area trending topic on Twitter after the video was aired on Fashionista.

Fashion brands are turning away from serious, high-budget fashion films and using humour as a way to connect with consumers. Read more in our The Irony Of Fashion microtrend.