In an Angry Society, ‘Gentle Outrage’ Packs a Marketing Punch

Last weekend, The Ordinary, a Canadian skincare brand, announced a limited-time offer: a dozen eggs for $3.37 at two of its New York stores.

At any other moment in history, a skincare brand selling eggs would be a premise too bizarre to be offensive. But at a time when the average price for a 12-pack exceeds $10 in some Manhattan supermarkets – and liberals and conservatives are competing to see who can blame the other side in the loudest terms for this particular form of inflation – The Ordinary decided to crack the issue wide open.

Partnering with MSCHF, a group known for its hyperviral campaigns for products like Candy Airpods and its Big Red Boots, The Ordinary said the campaign’s intent was to “reframe how to support local communities with brick-and-mortar locations.” Internet commenters had other words for it: “genius,” “bizarre,” “dystopian” and “egg-selent marketing.” Some complained about the irony of a cruelty-free, vegan brand trafficking in chicken embryos.

Observers also made the connection that The Ordinary’s parent, Deciem (now owned by The Estee Lauder Companies) is based in Toronto, and that its dig at skyrocketing US egg prices came shortly after the Trump administration slapped 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports including, presumably, its serums and moisturisers. MSCHF did not respond to a request for comment.

Others wanted everyone to stop overthinking it.

“Thanks for the fun idea,” one user commented on Instagram. “Sorry for all the windbags in the comments.”

The stunt demonstrated that, even in a moment when many retailers are striving to seem as anodyne as possible to avoid provoking anti-woke forces’ ire, a bit of well-calibrated controversy — some “gentle outrage,” you could call it — can still be a potent marketing tactic.

“I love when a brand can connect something that is happening in culture that is totally unexpected,” said Robin Marshall, a partner at New York’s Case Agency. “Just because you’re a beauty company doesn’t mean you can’t comment on what’s going on in the world today.”

The Ordinary isn’t the only brand embracing the high-risk, high-reward strategy. This week, the clothing brand Reformation sent a promotional email to customers with the subject line “WRONG GROUP CHAT,” presumably a reference to the recent revelation that senior national security officials had discussed war plans in a group chat that inadvertently included a journalist.

As social media feeds continue to flood with paid ads, sponsored posts and Tarte influencers trips, anything but the most sensational marketing risks becoming white noise.

Meanwhile, consumers at large were growing tired of corporations earnestly proclaiming their values even before Trump’s reelection. Which is why the most successful (and topical) campaigns lately have taken approaches like The Ordinary’s, referencing politics without getting too serious about it. Or hiding a real message inside a dirty joke, which was E.l.f. Beauty’s approach with its “So Many Dicks” campaign that accompanied data about how many white men named Richard sit on company boards, including their own.

Pulling off this kind of marketing requires having a knack for social media and a strong brand; otherwise, talking politics can come off as glib, inauthentic, cringe or genuinely offensive. The Ordinary’s egg stunt, for instance, didn’t come out of nowhere; the brand has a history of activism (it regularly declines to participate in Black Friday, tying back the mission of “quality, equality” that animates their pricing structure). Reformation, too, has a track record of clever and current emails, and isn’t afraid to get a little political. Last year it released a campaign starring Monica Lewinsky.

“The reason that it works is because it feels like it leans into what they’re about as a business,” said Natasha Hulme, director of strategy, creative and brand experience at global PR agency Seen Group, of The Ordinary’s eggs. “It’s clever, it’s smart, it resonates.”

Will it sell skincare though?

The Ordinary posted its collaboration on Instagram to its nearly 3 million followers, racking up over 100,000 likes (compared to an average 2,000 or so on a typical post) and thousands of responses.

Hulme said the success metric of a campaign like The Ordinary’s might be a series of questions versus standard KPIs: “‘Did we create a conversation? Did we inspire people to talk about something that’s an important topic?‘”

That means a few triggered Trump supporters and angry vegans (one Instagram comment The Ordinary of “dipping their toes into factory farming”) are a mark of success, not a reason to go into crisis mode. After all, playing it safe carries its own risks; foot traffic at Target fell after the retailer backed off from progressive stances it had taken over the last decade or so.

“In order to have a conversation, you often need to have different points of view,” Hulme said.

The eggs, for their part, sold out; the price was unbeatable.

THE NEWS IN BRIEF

FASHION, BUSINESS AND THE ECONOMY

Moncler to add Alexandre Arnault to its board after LVMH deal. Following a deal last year between LVMH and the high-end outerwear brand’s largest shareholder, Moncler is set to appoint Bernard Arnault’s third child, Alexandre, to its board, alongside Sue Y. Nabi of Coty Inc. and Francois-Henry Bennahmias, formerly of Audemars Piguet.

H&M’s first quarter sales were weaker than expected. The Swedish fast-fashion retailer missed analysts’ expectations by 600 million Swedish krona ($597 million). Sales were up 1 percent in March, signalling a slow start to its spring and summer season.

Lululemon tumbles as tariff uncertainty and weak demand hit forecasts. As customers turn to competitors, the company now expects 2025 fiscal revenue of $11.15 – $11.30 billion, missing analysts’ average estimate of $11.31 billion. Lululemon’s shares fell about 13 percent in premarket trading on Friday.

Running shoe brand Hoka was accused of misappropriating Māori culture. The popular French American sportswear company, whose name means “to fly” in the Māori language, has been accused of failing to acknowledge its name’s origins by Indigenous intellectual property experts in New Zealand.

Under Armour reunites with NFL after five-year hiatus. Under returning CEO Kevin Plank, the brand will once again be the official provider of footwears and gloves for the most popular US pro sport league.

Major UK investors join push for retail giants to pay workers “real living wage.” Over 100 individuals and eight institutional investors who cumulatively manage over £1 trillion ($1.08 trillion) in assets are pressuring retailers Next, Marks & Spencer and JD Sports to pay their workers a “real living wage.”

Next raises profit forecast, defies gloomy retail environment. The fashion and homewares retailer now expects £1.1 billion ($1.4 billion) of pretax profit this year, £500 million more than a previous forecast. Following the projection, shares surged as high as 9 percent in early trading.

Pepkor to buy four brands giving it access to 462 African stores. Pepkor Holdings Ltd. announced Tuesday that it would acquire clothing and homeware brands from Retailability Proprietary Ltd., thus opening access to almost 500 more stores across southern Africa.

Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana will anchor V&A’s luxury mall in South Africa. As demand for high-end goods in South Africa’s second-largest city grows, Cape Town’s V&A CEO David Green told Bloomberg the mall is tripling the size of space available for rent to luxury retailers.

Homme Plissé Issey Miyake named guest designer at Pitti Uomo in June. The Japanese brand’s Homme Plissé menswear line was announced as “guest of honor” by Pitti Immagine Uomo, and will headline a special Pitti Uomo event on June 18 at an unannounced location in Florence.

US fashion lobby warns Trump cuts threaten key supply-chain programmes. Following a report that the US Department of Labor will end all grants run by its Bureau of International Affairs, the American Apparel & Footwear Association warned that Trump administration cuts to spending on international labour programmes risk harming US business interests.

Italian luxury supplier plans creditor talks as demand slows. Altofare Group, which is owned by White Bridge Investments, has employed tax and legal services to advise on its debt with creditors, as spending on high-end goods has declined.

THE BUSINESS OF BEAUTY

Investors sue Thirteen Lune founder for alleged fraud and embezzlement. Beauty Generations Fund and Relevance Capital filed the lawsuit against Thirteen Lune, its CEO Nyakio Grieco and other defendants in a Los Angeles district court on Mar. 4. The suit accuses Grieco of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and misappropriation of company funds for personal purchases, among other complaints.

PEOPLE

Supergoop’s founder to exit the brand. According to an internal company note posted on Reddit, Holly Thaggard will step down as chairwoman and assume the position of “strategic advisor.” It’s unclear when the transition at the skincare company will take place or who will succeed Thaggard.

Francesca Amfitheatrof exits Louis Vuitton. The brand announced Thursday that Francesca Amfitheatrof will be stepping down after seven years as artistic director for watches and jewellery at Louis Vuitton following a “mutual decision.”

Dazed editor-in-chief IB Kamara to step down. After four years at the helm, IB Kamara’s final issue will be published in June, Dazed Media announced on Tuesday. His successor has yet to be announced.

Hermès taps BNP Paribas CEO, former spy for luxury group’s board. Hermès International SCA is set to appoint BNP Paribas SA CEO Jean-Laurent Bonnafé, former leader of France’s spy agency DGSE Bernard Emié and dairy company Bel Group CEO Cécile Béliot-Zind to the luxury group’s board, changes that will be put to a vote at the company’s shareholders’ meeting on April 30, Bloomberg reported.

MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY

Trump says he may give China a reduction in tariffs to get TikTok deal done. US President Trump told Reuters he would consider extending the April 5 deal deadline and giving China “a little reduction in tariffs or something” in exchange for a confirmation of the sale of TikTok by Chinese parent Bytedance.

Compiled by Jessica Kwon.