Etude House creates 12-part fanfiction to romanticise new eye palette

Etude Malaysia has unveiled its new eye palette, Play Color Eyes Mini Objet, with a dramatic fanfiction titled "Mini Objet, The Series". The 12-part written mini-drama follows the journey of the main character, Emma, as she chases her dream to become a singer and also involves twin sisters Kim and Mel. Each character in the story is inspired by Etude’s Play Color Eyes Mini Objet, a mini eyeshadow quad with four colour combinations. The fanfiction aims to excite and captivate the imagination of Etude’s key audience. At the time of writing, Etude House has released four chapters on Instagram and Facebook. 

Jow Tin Yen, senior marketing manager for Etude Malaysia said that it hopes to tell the story of Etude Mini Objet in a different way by inviting its audience into a world where Etude Mini Objet is personified. “The romanticism of a good story told in a fanfiction style may inspire our fans to create stories of their own,” she added.

Jow told A+M that Etude House has always been a playful and fun brand. One of the key insights the team has observed within its community is that everyone has their personal stories. Stories of love, loss, ambition, dreams, setbacks and achievement. "We feel that our products are so embedded in our community's everyday lives that we become part of their stories," she said.

The team landed on the idea of a fanfiction style drama as it also noticed the drama craze on Netflix. According to Jow, these dramas have become fodder for conversations between friends and it was looking for a way to create conversations around the new product without resorting to simply a promotional offer. Done by agency BRANDTHINK Malaysia, the fanfiction was completed in just under a week and ties back to the brand essence about playfulness and the freedom to experiment as well as be who you are. 

"The entirety of the story was written first. It is then divided into 12 parts to fit with the ebb and flow of the story, allowing for a bit of cliffhanger and drama as it leads into the next chapter," she explained. The fanfiction is only available on social media as the brand feels it is the most suitable platform for its storytelling. Etude House mainly targets females between the ages of 15 to 28 who are at a point where self-discovery is important to them.

"Our key objective is to inspire reasons to apply our makeup to put forward your best self. After a year of challenges, we feel that standard promotional offers by themselves can neither help differentiate from our competitors nor help grow our customer base," Jow explained.

This is not the first time Etude House has added a human touch to its brand. It previously worked with BRANDTHINK Malaysia to add a sense of realism to the brand by featuring localised and relatable faces, inspired by live TV and live streaming that has grown in popularity in China. The brand also rolled out an online campaign for Valentine's Day last year, sending a love letter to 30 influencers with campaign exclusive cards designed to encourage deeper conversations around the dinner table with their partners.

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