May gave us a lot — chaotic trends, surprise drops, and yes, a very nostalgic wave of Y2K energy. But what stood out most were the emotional branding campaigns that didn’t just go viral — they built trust, loyalty, and connection.
They showed us that great branding isn’t about doing more — it’s about doing what matters, with intention.
Here’s what caught our eye this month — and what you should be paying attention to if you’re building something that lasts.
💋Lancôme’s Emotional Branding Campaign Revives Y2K With Juicy Tubes
To celebrate 25 years of Juicy Tubes, Lancôme didn’t just repackage a cult classic — they built a moment.
The brand dropped a full campaign starring Y2K royalty (Paris Hilton, Ed Westwick, and Kelly Rowland) with The Juicy Kissing Web, a chaotic, cinematic mini film that felt like a rom-com-meets-fragrance-ad fever dream. Gloss, glam, and self-aware nostalgia — wrapped in pure 2000s energy.
📌 Why it works:
💋 Tapped deep emotional memory through iconic casting, not just visuals.
💋 Framed a legacy product as timeless, not dated
💋 Turned an anniversary into a brand-building celebration, not just a campaign
💋 They didn’t just throw it back, they recontextualized it. They told their audience: this wasn’t a trend - it was your origin story.
💋 The brand isn’t trying to be cool. They’re telling you they always were.
Heels Make Deals take:
Legacy is power - but only if you frame it correctly.This wasn’t “just a gloss.” It was a personal artifact for an entire generation. If you’re sitting on brand heritage, there’s a way to bring it forward that adds depth — not dust. Don’t just revive. Reframe. That’s what separates throwback marketing from emotional branding campaigns that truly resonate.
💐 Uber Eats Taps Into Emotion With a Mother’s Day Brand Activation
This Mother’s Day, Uber Eats didn’t lead with food. They led with feeling. In NYC and LA, they rolled out mobile greenhouses filled with fresh florals, where guests could pick up beautifully wrapped bouquets and handwrite personal thank-you notes. There was even a mirrored bloom wall to turn the experience into something shareable - but still soft, intentional, human.
No discount codes. No push notifications. Just presence, generosity, and a moment that felt personal.
📌 Why it works:
💐 Uber Eats is a utility brand - it's about speed, convenience, and delivery. But this activation shows they’re capable of emotional positioning too.
💐 Created a moment that was both giftable and Instagrammable
💐 Aligned perfectly with the brand’s convenience promise, but delivered care instead of speed
💐 They didn’t try to be something they’re not - they simply used what they already do well (delivering things) to create an act of care. And this is simply genius.
Heels Make Deals take:
This is how you shift perception without shouting. Uber Eats is utility-first — but this proved they can deliver emotion, not just food. Even “everyday” brands can show up meaningfully when they lean into cultural timing and emotional branding campaigns that stick.
Want to create connection that actually lasts? Start here: 5 steps to build stronger brand–customer relationships.
🎬 CeraVe’s Emotional Branding Turned SPF Into a Rom-Com
Skincare and storytelling don’t always go hand in hand — but CeraVe is proving they should.
This month, they premiered The One Under the Sun, a full-blown rom-com short film about finding “the one”... except the perfect partner is a daily moisturizer with SPF.
The experience? Cinematic. Oversized product props. Branded hot dog carts. Influencer cameos. Even a dermatologist playing matchmaker. This wasn’t a product launch — it was edutainment with plot.
But it wasn’t just camp for camp’s sake. CeraVe knew exactly what they were doing.
📌 Why it works:
🎬 Used humor and story to turn education into entertainment. Instead of preaching at the audience, they pulled them in with charm.
🎬 Delivered one clear message (wear SPF daily) across multiple creator POVs
🎬 Reinforced the brand’s “derm-backed but fun” voice through intentional camp
🎬 They distributed the narrative across multiple entry points — each one emotionally specific, behaviorally strategic.
Heels Make Deals take:
This is the difference between pushing product and creating behavior change. CeraVe made people feel smart for caring about SPF — without preaching. The strategy? Deliver education through joy. Because when your audience laughs, they listen.
💎 Kérastase’s Gloss House: A Beauty Experience Built on Emotional Branding
When Kérastase launched its new Gloss Absolu range, they could’ve gone with an ad campaign or influencer gifting. Instead, they built a multi-level, IRL experience in the heart of Soho.
The House of Gloss wasn’t just a pop-up. It was a physical manifestation of the brand:
– Interactive installations
– Custom bracelet-making
– Claw machines
– Glaze drop hair refreshes
– Live workshops with Girls in Marketing and LinkedIn
– A discovery floor filled with photogenic, product-driven experiences
This wasn’t about quick conversions — it was about embedding the brand into a lifestyle.
📌 Why it works:
💎 Turned a product launch into a fully immersive, lifestyle-led brand world
💎 Used experiential design to make personalization and play part of the offer
💎 Gave visitors tools, knowledge, and social currency they could carry away with them
💎 Kérastase understood that to launch a product, you don’t just talk about it — you let people live in it.
Heels Make Deals take:
When you build a physical space around your values, it stops being a “pop-up.”
It becomes a memory. This wasn’t just about gloss — it was about making people feel seen, playful, and taken care of. Good brands show up. Great brands invite people in.
What Top Emotional Branding Campaigns Got Right — and How to Apply It
📌 Nostalgia works – when it’s emotionally intelligent.
You don’t need a celebrity cast like Lancôme. What you do need is emotional intelligence.
Ask: What did our audience grow up with? What shaped them? What hits that nostalgia sweet spot? Tap into that, and you’ve got a connection money can’t buy. 💖
📌 Educational entertainment > ads
CeraVe shows how to sell SPF without saying “Wear SPF.” If your product needs explaining, don’t lecture — entertain. Wrap your benefits in story. Make it playful, emotional, and memorable. This is how education becomes action. By wrapping education in emotion, CeraVe proved that even SPF can star in emotional branding campaigns people want to share.
📌 It’s not about the flowers. It’s about the feeling.
Uber Eats connected with people not through product, but presence. A simple, human gesture — flowers, notes, no strings attached — landed harder than any promo code ever could.
That’s how you build emotional loyalty.
📌 Real-life builds real trust.
Kérastase didn’t just build a pop-up. They built a physical brand experience — one that was immersive, shareable, and full of substance. When IRL activations are designed with intention, they don’t just create buzz. They create belief.
Curious where branding is headed next? We explored the key branding trends shaping 2025 — from narrative clarity to identity-first experiences.
Final Thought
The smartest brands don’t just show up. They connect.
And the strongest connections come from intentional, emotional branding campaigns — the kind that make people feel, remember, and act.
If you’re building a brand — especially in beauty, fashion, wellness, or lifestyle — you don’t need to be louder. You need to be clearer, braver, and more intentional.That’s what we build.
Book Your Consultation and let’s make it happen. 👠✨
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