As part of new campaign ORGASM, ACTIVATED, makeup brand NARS has partnered with nonfungible token markeplace SuperRare on an auction of digital collectibles celebrating its cult classic Orgasm shade.
An additional augmented reality element involving Instagram filters, live as of today, aims to bring the Web3 project to a wider audience. Fans are invited to share tagged footage via Instagram Stories for the chance to win Orgasm product.
NARS commissioned five female-identifying artists: Dr. Alex Box, Serwah Attafuah, NINOCENCE, Clara Bacou, and Damara Ingles to create NFT artwork celebrating self expression and drawing on the colors and textures of the NARS signature.
The NFTs came with physical Infinite Objects frames plus the complete NARS Orgasm Collection (valued at $315) and a 45-minute, one-on-one consultation with NARS Global Makeup Artist Jenny Smith.
The auction of exclusive single edition artworks which took place last week, saw 100% of proceeds and royalties going to the creators. Founded in 2018, SuperRare boasts over $300 million in total sales with more than $180 million earned by artists to date.
Today, July 31, which, for the record is also National Orgasm Day, NARS is releasing associated AR filters via its Instagram account. One has been created by each of the artists.
According to NARS, the goal is to “democratize access to digital collectibles and onboard women into Web3.”
Partnering with a Web3 native marketplace and digital artists, bundling the NFTs with physical products and brand experience while introducing the campaign to a wider audience via more more accessible and familiar AR technology is a good example of how to successfully deploy a Web2.5 hybrid approach.
Most recently, L’Oréal owned Maybelline and She Uemura have worked on AR features with Snap and Microsoft Teams while L’Oréal has also partnered with Ready Player Me, Zepeto and Roblox on avatar hair and makeup looks.
Using art as a medium feels authentic for NARS. As Executive Director, Global Digital Innovation & Media Gabrielle Archambault said in a statement, “artistry has been a key pillar of the NARS brand since its inception nearly three decades ago. The emergence of Web3 and digital collectibles has ushered in a new era of artistic creation and self-expression.”
“We’re excited to leverage our platform to amplify the work of these next-generation creators,” she added.
The backgrounds of these selected artists, combine technology with more traditional forms of expression.
Having trained in fine art, Dr. Alex Box has segued from makeup artist to multi disciplinary creative director. She worked with Estée Lauder on an “radiance aura” digital wearable to spotlight the beauty giant’s hero Advanced Night Repair Serum product for Decentraland Metaverse Fashion Week in 2022.
NINOCENCE, a.k.a. digital artist Nina Hawkins, is also the technical talent behind Embryo, a mobile face scanning application for consumer grade avatar creation and she has worked with the avatar division of Los Angeles based modeling agency Photogenics.
The campaign had its genesis in 2021 with first Web3 activation ORGASM, EXPERIENCED, and earlier this year, NARS also teamed up with NFT project Boss Beauties.
For both Boss Beauties and ORGASM ACTIVATED, NARS partnered with ULO (Unidentified Landed Object), a women-led creative agency founded by Snap Inc. alum Dani Van de Sande.
ULO supported NARS in creative concept, artist curation, go-to-market strategy and campaign execution. The outfit “empowers brands to authentically participate in emerging digital culture, staking their claim as leaders in the next phase of the internet, while bringing their audiences along for the ride.”
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