Ulta Beauty
Their Story
Ulta Beauty is the largest beauty retailer in the U.S. and a premier destination for cosmetics, fragrance, skincare, haircare, and salon services. Known for delivering both product discovery and personalized experiences, Ulta continues to explore new ways to engage consumers across digital platforms.
The Challenge
During the holiday season—the most critical time of year—Ulta Beauty needed a campaign that could both delight and convert new and existing customers.
While the brand already maintained an evergreen presence on Reddit, they wanted to evolve their approach by:
- Introducing more innovative, shoppable ad experiences
- Connecting authentically with Reddit’s highly engaged communities
- Driving traffic, sales, and stronger ROAS during peak shopping periods
The Insights
- Reddit users are highly research-driven, with 85% of Redditors basing cyber week purchases on platform research
- Authentic, platform-native content is essential to successfully engage Reddit’s community-driven environment
- Shoppable experiences integrated into organic-style content could bridge the gap between discovery and purchase
- Meeting users within active conversations would increase both engagement and conversion potential
The Strategy
Rise partnered with Reddit to build a holiday campaign tailored to the platform’s unique user behavior and content style.
Focusing on KPIs like traffic and sales, the strategy emphasized delivering high-quality, Reddit-native content at scale—leveraging a mix of ad formats designed to engage users where they were already actively researching and discussing products.
The Solution
Rise executed a Reddit-first holiday campaign using a mix of native ad formats:
- Megathreads: Created centralized hubs for deals and product discovery
- Spoiler Posts: Encouraged interaction by allowing users to reveal offers
- Category Takeovers & Conversation Placements: Positioned Ulta within high-engagement discussions
- Reddit Pixel Retargeting: Re-engaged users throughout their shopping journey
This approach ensured Ulta’s messaging felt native to the platform while driving measurable performance.
The Results
By aligning creative, placement, and user behavior, Ulta successfully transformed its Reddit presence into a high-performing holiday channel. The campaign drove increased traffic and sales while strengthening engagement within Reddit’s beauty communities—supporting stronger ROAS during a critical retail period.
