ELEMIS: How sample sizes sold a new generation on TikTok.
ELEMIS asked us to attract a new generation of customers on TikTok, with content that put its products front and centre and drove significant sales. We built paid TikTok creative around new sample-sized SKUs, made with a top UGC creator and delivered with three variations of every opening hook. Despite a 2.25% decrease in ad spend, TikTok sales rose 209% against the 2024 average.
Results at a glance
209% uplift in TikTok sales vs the 2024 average.
264% increase in revenue vs 2024.
59% increase in conversion rate, despite a 2.25% decrease in ad spend.
One cult balm. A whole routine to sell.
The ELEMIS Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm is a cult favourite, and we'd already partnered with the brand on performance creative. This time ELEMIS wanted to reach a new generation of customers on TikTok and get them using more than the balm. The content had to look good and sell.
Attract a new generation of ELEMIS customers on TikTok and drive significant sales.
Expand usage beyond the cleansing balm by encouraging routine expansion and product discovery.
Start small, sell the routine.
A smaller size makes it easier to try something new. So we paired ELEMIS sample-sized SKUs with strong hooks and bold messaging, and made content built to convert.
01
The insights
Price is an easy reason not to try a premium brand, and one TikTok commenter said it outright: “Elemis is so expensive though”. Sample-sized SKUs answer that objection without discounting the brand, giving people an easy first step into products beyond the balm. On TikTok, though, a good offer only works if people stop scrolling long enough to see it, so the opening seconds of every asset mattered as much as the product.
02
The strategy
We introduced sample-sized SKUs to ELEMIS's paid TikTok activity and worked with a top UGC creator on a bespoke piece of content built around three unique, attention-grabbing hooks. Each asset was delivered with three variations of the opening hook.
Hooks that stop the scroll
We focused on scroll-stopping visuals and persuasive messaging, written to prompt immediate action. One hook replied straight to the “so expensive” comment, while another opened on “I don't know who needs to hear this...”
Minis for discovery
The sample-sized SKUs, including Superfood Midnight Facial and Pro-Collagen Rose Cleansing Balm, invited people to build out their routine and find products beyond the original balm.
Test, learn, optimise
Once live, we analysed every asset closely, learning and iterating to keep optimising creative performance for sustained growth
Campfire services on this project
03
The impact
Despite a 2.25% decrease in ad spend, ELEMIS saw a 209% uplift in TikTok sales against its 2024 average, a 59% increase in conversion rate and a 264% increase in revenue compared with 2024. Our creator-led paid TikTok strategy gave engagement and sales a significant boost. VibeCheck showed how the audience felt about it, with comments from “Elemis is the best best best” to “omg it's best on the market love love love”, and one viewer who had “Just bought as a small stocking filler for Christmas”. ELEMIS reached a new generation of customers, exceeded all its targets and set a new performance benchmark for the brand.