BravoCon brings reality stars and beauty to the forefront
BravoCon 2023 made waves in Las Vegas with one, if not, the biggest reunion of reality stars from franchises far and wide.
From “Real Housewives” to “Summer House,” fans gathered to celebrate everything that makes Bravo so special—including all the glitz, glamour and beauty their favorite reality stars have become synonymous for.
Drug Store News spoke with Sari Feinberg, senior vice president of marketing and content partnerships at NBCUniversal Advertising and Partnerships to discuss all the activations the convention had on hand with major beauty brands, including Shark, Studs and Ulta Beauty.
Drug Store News: Can you tell us a bit about the Shark Beauty Glam Pop-Up experience? How did the partnership with Shark Beauty come about and what products were on display?
Sari Feinberg: After Shark Beauty’s BravoCon 2022 debut where they connected directly with consumers and demonstrated their styling tools fit for all hair types, the beauty brand wanted to come back bigger and better at BravoCon 2023. In a custom-built glam room activation decked out in soft suede pinks, disco balls and mirrors featuring famed Bravo quotes, Shark Beauty showed up this year to ensure our fans received the Bravolebrity treatment. Bravo’s reunion shows are an integral part of the show – it’s where fans can learn more about the behind the scenes of their favorite franchises, sneak peeks into where the cast is now and of course – the reunion glam looks.
From Ariana’s jaw-dropping red revenge dress to Sai’s stunning gold gown, together with Shark Beauty, we wanted to bring fans the experience of getting reunion-ready with the brand’s powerful hair styling tools, FlexStyle, SpeedStyle and SmoothStyle. After getting their locks pampered, interested fans could commemorate the moment by taking photos on the reunion couches and iconic Glambot as well as purchase their favorite product that suits their hair type best to be shipped directly to their homes. Plus, Bravoholics tuning in across TikTok and Instagram had a first look at how “Vanderpump Rules” Scheana Shay and “Summer House’s” Lindsay Hubbard get ready with Shark Beauty products.
DSN: Can you tell us about the Ear-Piercing Pop-Up by Studs? Why was this brand the right partner for this activation, and what Bravo-inspired Earscapes were available for purchase?
SF: Studs joined us for the first time at this year's event, bringing a completely new experience for fans and Bravolebrities alike to take advantage of. This was an opportunity for the emerging brand to tie themselves closer to Bravo’s content in a unique way, while also empowering those in attendance to celebrate the moment by sporting new jewelry inspired by their favorite Bravo show and BravoCon’s new location—Las Vegas.
With a one-of-a-kind Studs on Wheels trailer parked right in front of the Las Vegas High Roller at the entrance of BravoCon, attendees were excited to learn more about the brand and partake in the ultimate Earscaping exp(ear)ience, which included options to get ear piercings and purchase limited-edition Earscape sets such as a ‘Never Fly Coach’ Set, ‘Tres Amigas’ Set and ‘House Daddy’ Set, all inspired by the Bravosphere. From earrings featuring lightning bolts, martini glasses, casino chips and more, it was an epic activation all weekend long.
DSN: Can you tell us about the panel Ulta Beauty is partaking in with the ladies from “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”? How did the partnership with the retailer and ACTV8 come to be?
SF: When Ulta came to us to see how they could get involved at BravoCon this year, it was a no-brainer to deliver a panel with the Beverly Hills Housewives on our Gold Stage in partnership with the brand.
During the panel, the ladies dove into what fans can expect from the current season, from relationship changes to family challenges. While fans leaned into the conversation, they were also able to unlock exclusive geotargeted commerce-enabled content, distributed in partnership with ACTV8me. Attendees who opted-in scanned a Sequential QR Code, which shared a special offer and will send them a notification any time they are near an Ulta store. They’ll never go home realizing they forgot to buy mascara after just running out.
DSN: Were there any other exciting partnerships at this year’s BravoCon?
SF: In addition to all these unique partnerships, we collaborated with Nexxus at this year’s event leaning into the power of NBCU’s talent as influencers. Partnering with “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’” Kyle Richards, our teams created custom shoppable content of Kyle getting ready as well as finished looks utilizing Nexxus’ Unbreakable Care products across NBCU and Bravo social handles. Plus, fans on-the-ground and at home could shop Nexxus products through BravoCon’s Shoppable Microsite, making it easy for fans to make the purchase anytime and anywhere.