Bubble skin care already lines the shelves of Walmart, CVS and Ulta — but the brand, launched in 2020, is now looking to take over college campuses.
Bubble has long had a robust ambassador program, but college students have “intricacies” that can best be addressed via a dedicated ambassador program, said Shai Eisenman, Bubble’s founder and CEO.
The program is kicking off with 13 partner schools that include Baylor University, Clemson University, Ohio State University and The University of Indiana.
The program, called Bubble on Campus, invites students to act as either representatives or ambassadors for the brand on campus by promoting it, via word-of-mouth and social media, to friends and fellow students. The brand is kicking off the program with 1,800 college representatives and 30 ambassadors. For Bubble, Eisenman said the goal is to drive awareness, loyalty, sales and education.
Representatives and ambassadors will have the opportunity to earn 10% commission on the sales they drive through personal links. They can also earn money through brand-directed “missions,” such as going with a few friends to Walmart and taking a picture with Bubble products on the shelf. Reps, whose positions will be more time intensive, will be rewarded with other perks like stipends to host events.
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Unlike ambassadors, reps will be required to post about the program. They will also be encouraged, but not required, to do social media takeovers on Bubble’s accounts, host giveaways and promote their positions on LinkedIn. Finally, reps will attend brand training sessions — as Bubble wants them to act as a voice of the brand, providing them with brand and product education training is a priority.
Of the program, Jordan Ursaner, a campus representative and a freshman studying marketing at Georgia State University, said, “I’ve been a Bubble ambassador for over two years. I’m super excited for Bubble On Campus because this means more people will get to experience the awesome skin care Bubble has. I love Bubble and being a part of the Bubble community because of the fact that nobody is excluded.”
Bubble’s existing ambassador program spans a wider age range and, thus far, has been entirely digital. Its college program will mark its first time exploring IRL, experiential activations.
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Representatives will be armed with product samples, including yet-to-launch-products, and branded merch, all of which they will be able to distribute to peers on campus.
Eisenman said the program is another manifestation of the brand’s commitment to community. “The community is the core and the heart of the brand; it [drives] everything we do,” she said. In emphasizing the brand’s focus on community, Eisenman noted that a team of seven works on community initiatives, while a team of just two works on influencer relationships.
Bubble’s community is primarily made up of customers upward of age 13, with most being 18-25. It has had input on everything from product formulations to product names.
“[These] passionate, skin care-obsessed college students will help bring the world of Bubble to college campuses,” said Bubble’s director of community, Marianne Robinson.
College students are a newer focus for Eisenman, who believes that students can have a strong influence on one another’s beauty routines and shopping habits, given the sheer amount of time they spend together.
Along with their proximity to Bubble retail locations, the colleges were chosen based on where the brand’s existing community goes to school, Eisenman said. She noted that some of the college ambassadors have been in communication with the brand since before it launched — many through its Geneva chatrooms, a robust source of information for Eisenman. The brand has 4,600 ambassadors across its community chatrooms.
“We have people who started with us when they were 15, and now they’re in college,” she said. “They’re the ones to [help us] get us into specific colleges, because they’re very connected to the brand and they know it really well. They’re able to spread the word in the best possible way.”
Eisenman said she is in near-constant communication with the ambassadors, particularly through the aforementioned Geneva chatrooms. She listens to their opinions and is more concerned with what they think about the products than with them hitting any specific sales metrics, she said. “My favorite ambassadors are the ones who have an opinion on every product name and every product formulation. They also have thoughtful feedback, [when discussing our] partnerships or strategies.”
Bubble is not the first beauty brand to target college students. In February, the Gen Z-focused hair-dye brand Hally launched an extensive marketing strategy involving partnerships with college sports teams.
Bubble’s sales grew 900% from 2022 to 2023. According to industry sources, the brand will reach $85 million in sales in 2023.
