2 THE POWER OF VISUAL STORYTELLING best cosmetic . . . so grin and wear it!” The compliments are sent individually to members of Benefit’s online com- munity, and they are humorously written with a wink and a smile, without being overly promotional. With beauty pick-up themed one-liners like, “Your lashes are longer than a supermodel’s legs,” or, “Your skin is so radiant, sat- ellites in orbit can see your glow,” the compliments nod to Benefit’s being a beauty brand, without putting specific products in the spotlight. Claudia Allwood, director of U.S. digital marketing for Benefit Cosmetics, says: We wanted to create visual, shareable content that conveyed our brand’s central message: laughter is the best cosmetic. We wanted some- thing as instant as our beauty solutions, as clever as our brand’s personality, and as social as our consumers. Benefit is not about unachievable beauty; our products are your best friend that comes through in a flash to bring out your natural beauty in five minutes. With our #BeautyBoost campaign we wanted to surprise women and “ I’ve learned that people will delight them with instant affirmations that they forget what you said, people will are gorgeous just the way they are. forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made Sure, Benefit could have simply tweeted an uplift- 1 them feel.” ing one-liner via text, but the gesture of incorporating „MAYA ANGELOU a visual was far more powerful for several reasons. First and foremost, it made its recipients pause their busy day and appreciate the intended message. Next, it prompted the recipients to share the image with their community of friends and followers (not to mention sharing the story in this book!), encouraging positive word of mouth for the