In 2019, Hourglass Cosmetics was preparing to become one of the first prestige beauty brands to go fully vegan. The creative and strategic challenge: make "cruelty-free" mean something culturally, not just in the ingredient deck.

Eye-to-Eye was the answer, a multi-phase purpose platform built to redefine the brand's mission in the market, deepen its partnership with The Nonhuman Rights Project, and mobilize a community around animal advocacy.

Phase I launched in 2019 with an OOH brand campaign in New York, Los Angeles, and London - including a hand-painted mural on the Venice boardwalk. The campaign coincided with the inaugural Jane Goodall Day in Los Angeles, where Hourglass hosted influencers at an intimate celebration with Dr. Goodall to amplify the brand's animal rights mission.

Phase II extended the campaign into an influencer and UGC movement. Ten creators from the beauty and lifestyle space photographed their pets for a second campaign release, then invited their audiences to do the same, with Hourglass donating $1 per post to The Nonhuman Rights Project. The teaser strategy (showing only the tops of pets' heads in early posts) generated organic speculation and anticipation before the full reveal.

The Phase II influencer campaign generated 2.4M impressions, 1.8M reach, and a 4.85% engagement rate across 17 posts and videos. The #hg_eyetoeye hashtag received over 1,000 community posts within 24 hours of launch and grew to 1,600+ posts in total.

In the three months following the activation, "vegan" became the #1 searched term on hourglasscosmetics.com, evidence that purpose-led storytelling was moving purchase behavior, not just brand sentiment.

Phase III extended the platform further with a feature documentary chronicling the beauty industry's shift away from animal-derived ingredients, and a companion social content series focused on Hourglass's development of a vegan alternative to carmine, Red 0.

The Eye-to-Eye campaign was recognized with an ADC Award.