Kao Corp.'s Bioré skincare is creating buzz for its new Deep Cleansing Charcoal Pore Strips by teaming up with actress Brittany Snow for a social media contest.

Fans post a picture of themselves wearing the strips to Instagram or Twitter with the hashtags #StripWithBiore and #Sweeps to win a chance to walk the red carpet. The challenge is in support of Jed Foundation?s Love is Louder, a movement cofounded by Ms. Snow.

"The campaign is focused on Brittany Snow?s charity of choice, Love is Louder, which combats issues such as negative self image," said Shuli Lowy, marketing director at Ping Mobile, New York. "The charity and movement is one that resonates with Biore's target audience and is therefore likely to encourage consumers to participate in the campaign #stripwithbiore.

"Encouraging others to share content is a strategic tactic in any marketing campaign as it facilitates organic posts about a brand," she said. "Biore knows that it is much more powerful when consumers see a friend posting about their brand than when they see an ad put out by Biore.

"The average consumer also has hundreds of friends or followers, making each social share a valuable win for the brand."

Known for products that minimize pores, Bioré?s charcoal strips are the newest addition to the cleansing strip line.

Engaging contest
In addition to submitting the photo to Instagram and Twitter with the hashtags, fans must also tag three friends to be eligible to win. The winner will be picked at random from the pool of entries.

Biore's pore strip contest ad with Brittany Snow
 
The first prizewinner will receive a trip for two to Los Angeles. Round-trip airfare, hotel stay and dinner will all be included, along with a Hollywood makeover before a walk on the red carpet at a Love is Louder event.

The winner will also receive $300 worth of Bioré products and two autographed pictures of Ms. Snow.

A $2,500 American Express gift card will be offered for second prize. Third-place winner will be awarded a $1,000 spa day.

Customers wet their nose and add the strip to use the product. After 10 minutes the strip is removed along with dirt and oil, unclogging pores.

The contest kicked off with a comedy video of Ms. Snow using the strips. It starts out with her going about her normal routine and finding the product.

After applying the strips the actress fills the 10 minutes waiting for the strips to dry by making calls to performer Taylor Swift, ordering a pizza, making a blanket fort and rustling up a smoothie.

Bioré has even developed a mobile-optimized Web site just for the contest.

Brand awareness
Bioré  will be donating money to Love is Louder. Ms. Snow, MTV and Jed Foundation created the movement with the thought of love is louder than hate.

In an attempt to help combat self-esteem issues, Love is Louder encourages people to eliminate bullying and turn to support instead of anger.

The combination of a well-known movement, a celebrity and the contest is a positive tactic to get the word out for the new strips.

Sephora did something similar recently by holding a contest that had users posting on Snapchat and Instagram (see more).

"In order for any social campaign centered around a hashtag to gain traction, there needs to be a sizable audience that is first introduced to the hashtag idea," Ms. Lowy said. "Biore?s limited brand reach required that it partner with a source that has a larger social following in order to push the initiative.

"Biore therefore chose to partner with Brittany Snow," she said. "Snow not only embodies the brand tone that Biore is looking for but also gives the brand a base through which to fuel the social campaign.

"Partnering with Brittany Snow will allow Biore to spread its wings to her social following which is comprised of a larger and more captive audience. The campaign is also well suited for social media as many of the issues Love is Louder combats, such as bullying, depression, loneliness and negative self-image, are expressed or affected by social media.

"The partnership has already encouraged many to share their #stripwithBiore posts, providing great coverage for the brand. The message of the campaign also provides depth to the Biore branding, demonstrating that the brand cares not only about external image improvement but also about encouraging a better internal self image."

Final Take
Brielle Jaekel is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer and Mobile Commerce Daily, New York