wet n wild, a national value cosmetics brand, wanted to reach opinion leaders to create buzz and transform them into brand advocates. As the target audience was spending up to 16 hours a week on the web, we needed to connect with them online.

Through an exclusive members-only area on the wet n wild website, we created a personalized Trendsetter community where members could sound off and submit stories, rate looks as “trendy or traumatic,” request a makeover, ask the CosMedic for beauty advice, and learn how to transform their look from “mild to wild.”

We promoted Trendsetter through targeted display advertising, co-sponsored emails, and emails to existing wet n wild subscribers.

With the addition of Trendsetter, the average time spent on the wet n wild site increased 11%. Trendsetter was one of the most-visited sections of the site, and visitors were heavily engaged once they got there.

Online marketing spread awareness and increased conversions. Banner advertising achieved an historical conversion rate as high as 26% for Seventeen/CosmoGirl; Google display advertising yielded 13.6 million impressions; and our TeenVogue banner promotion accounted for over 16% of total Trendsetter signups.