What do “The Traitors” turret and MAC Cosmetics have in common?
Answer: Rob Rausch.
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After being crowned the winner of Alan Cumming’s two-time Emmy-winning game show last week, the snake wrangler turned reality star was spotted in the epicenter of Manhattan on Monday, standing below a billboard in Times Square dressed in black overalls and a matching MAC -branded cowboy hat.
The accessory was no coincidence; Rausch was promoting MAC ’s long-awaited debut at Sephora .
“When two icons like MAC and Sephora come together, it calls for a moment that is playful, current and deeply rooted in culture. Rob Rausch, fresh off his win on ‘The Traitors’ and at the center of online conversation, was our perfect collaborator,” Nicola Formichetti , global creative director of MAC, told WWD. “This contrast of raw virality and elevated visuals cut through the noise, reinforcing that MAC is for all expressions and everyone, and always on the pulse of culture.”
The brand first teased Rausch’s involvement in its launch festivities on Instagram on Monday morning, sharing a shirtless selfie of him posing in a mirror with “MAC is at Sephora” written in red lipstick across. The photo was later unveiled on a billboard outside Sephora Times Square between visuals of MAC’s earlier campaign with Chappell Roan. A quick photoshoot in the store and a crowd of fans later, Rausch was back in his hotel, back to “normality.”
But the internet hasn’t stopped buzzing since. Rausch’s fans flooded social media, fawning over the billboard images and his involvement in the campaign. “Do I see the connection? Not at all. Am I here for this 100%? Absolutely,” one woman wrote under MAC’s Instagram post.
The brand’s decision to tap the 27-year-old, who shot to stardom as the quirky stud/heartbreaker on “Love Island USA” Season Six, was a strategic move by MAC to leverage the power of his following, which has grown considerably due to his recent participation on “The Traitors.” Indeed, his audience (mostly girls and gays, at this point) is MAC’s target demographic.
WWD broke the news of the MAC’s retail move in late February, speaking with Formichetti; Tara Simon, president, the Americas, at parent company the Estée Lauder Cos.; and Cori Reinartz, senior vice president and general manager of MAC North America.
“Specialty multi is such a fast-growing channel. To not have MAC at Sephora, where they’re both such OGs, I mean, come on,” said Simon. “It just was absolutely the right time when MAC was back and on top and gaining share again, with so much amazing momentum that it just really made sense.”
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