Why would an immensely talented singer-celebrity that built her entire career on differentiation suddenly use misleading and crowded-market cliches to sell her product?

Lady Gaga lit us up beyond with her talent and differentiation. Born This Way is the celebratory anthem for all our unique identities.  She has shown us fabulosity and differentiation at levels like never before.  Her talent and style are unparalleled. I love Lady Gaga –  and hate having this opinion of her advertising. That’s why its killing me to write this.

It’s not her- It’s this ad for Haus Beauty that I really struggle with.

As both a marketer and a consumer brand founder, I can’t hold it inside any longer.

Spotted on TikTok, this roughly 1-minute long ad is a highly produced advertisement. This is not a spontaneous riff the platform is so well known and loved for.

OK, so my apologies and explanation are now complete. Catch this video breakdown as I flip between makeup brand owner and my marketing and regulatory background.  

A lot is spent on the message of “Clean Beauty”. There is no legal framework for this marketing claim. Without a legal ring fence, it has created all kinds of shadowy brand and product promotion. It’s quite rampant at the moment too. Admittedly, in the very beginning, I used this messaging too. I knew better. I soon stopped.

Do I have ideas to create a better ad and campaign? Yes. Tons. Bet you do too. Lady Gaga is an authentic marketer’s dream client. What happened here? Is this a case of good ideas killed in the boardroom? She could just be her more raw self and still sell tons of product.

Available exclusively at Sephora, revenue is reported by WWD at about $142M. That’s fantastic.

Sephora originally was known where makeup artistry and creativity flocked to flourish. I know this. I was there and a part of that exciting time. I developed the Kat von D product launch collection for Sephora and Kat. This was Sephora’s very first outside brand ownership. It was a super exciting time. The initiative was extremely successful. Maybe that’s why this advertising bugs me so much.

2 creative juggernauts; Lady Gaga and Sephora have teamed up and are messaging in a super-crowded space that has a great deal of dubious claim, no legal boundaries and seemingly irrelevant to both brands. With great ease, their combined creative power, differentiation, and resources could generate so many more effective campaign options.

It would be great to see that happen.