KOC Authenticity Turns New Serum Into Gen Z Favorite

176

assets produced

176

assets produced

52.3

views

52.3

views

9.4

engagement rate

9.4

engagement rate

Client

GlowBurst

Year

2024

Industry

Beauty

Platform

Territory

United States

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Challenge

GlowBurst’s new serum was timed for back-to-school season—prime for its teen target—but the brand hit a wall: Gen Z saw it as “another generic skincare label.” Past macro-influencer partnerships felt scripted, failing to build the trust this demographic craves.

Low Gen Z Awareness: 70% of 18-24 skincare buyers had never heard of GlowBurst; 45% called it “boring, parent-approved.”
Trust Gaps: Macro-influencer campaigns saw a 2.1% avg engagement rate, with comments like “this feels like an ad” leading posts.
Launch Pressure: The serum needed traction in 6 weeks to capitalize on back-to-school demand.

Solution

Our audit of GlowBurst’s past campaigns revealed the product was strong, but the messengers were wrong. Gen Z trusts peers, not polished influencers. We pivoted to real-experience Key Opinion Consumers, or KOCs, to frame the serum as a friend’s recommendation, not a sales pitch.

AI KOC Sourcing: Filtered 500+ beauty creators by “acne-prone skin” and “engagement quality” rather than follower count, selecting 12 micro-influencers with 10k–50k followers and unsponsored skincare content.
Unscripted Journeys: Had creators document 2-week serum tests—raw before/afters (no filters), daily skin updates, and live Q&As to answer follower doubts.
Platform Focus: Prioritized TikTok (short daily clips) and Instagram Reels (detailed reviews), plus 1 cross-platform live to drive launch-day buzz.
Fast Collaboration: Used a shared dashboard to cut feedback turnaround from 5 days to 48 hours, keeping content timely.

Result

VibeVox’s KOC program didn’t just hit sales targets, it solved GlowBurst’s core pain: winning Gen Z trust, which had eluded the brand in prior macro-influencer campaigns.

In the 6-week launch window alone, the program delivered:

$320k in serum sales, hitting 170% above initial targets
62% of buyers cited “influencer reviews” as their reason to buy
A 348% lift in engagement rate, from 2.1% to 9.4%

Beyond short-term sales, the campaign turned new buyers into advocates: 500+ customers tagged GlowBurst in their journeys, turning a product launch into sustained, user-driven buzz.

“VibeVox didn’t just find us creators—they found our community. The KOCs felt like friends sharing a great product, not influencers pushing ads. We’ll never go back to generic macro partnerships.”

-- Lila Torres

Marketing Director @GlowBurst Beauty