Janice McCafferty Communications was the agency behind the launch of CHI x Barbie, an Ulta Beauty exclusive. This line marked CHI’s first licensing deal with Mattel.
Debuting in stores and online at Ulta on April 20, 2020, this launch took place in the height of the pandemic and required strategic pitching and creativity to secure placements during this time. In addition to beauty, the line also needed a deep dive into other relevant categories to be successful. This included finding pop culture, e-commerce, shopping, licensing, celebrity, social and viral/ trending writers from both trade and consumer outlets. This collaboration was bigger than beauty and deserved a plan to match.
Our PR initiatives resulted in over 70 placements for CHI x Barbie including features by ABC News, PopSugar, Good Morning America, Nylon, Allure, In The Know, AOL, NewBeauty, E! Online and more. Considering the climate of media at the time, this was a huge win since media was mainly concentrating on COVID-19 related news.