Sturino calls out Lancôme’s “I’m Fine” campaign
The Beauty Power Play: How a Founder Turned a Critique into a Collaboration
When beauty titans collide, the air often crackles with tension. The launch of a major campaign by a luxury house often invites scrutiny, especially when it touches on sensitive subjects like mental health. But sometimes, the reaction isn’t a call-out; it’s an invitation.
Katie Sturino, the visionary founder of the bootstrapped brand Megababe, was positioned perfectly to be a sharp critic. After spotting Lancôme’s star-studded new “I’m Fine” initiative aimed at addressing women’s mental health, one might have expected a dose of skepticism. After all, she had previously introduced a similar campaign through her own brand back in May.
The expectation was that the founder of a burgeoning brand would weigh in critically, pointing out the strategic positioning or perhaps the execution. But Sturino chose a different path entirely.
Instead of launching a critique, she opted to bring the conversation in. In an Instagram post, Sturino didn’t call out the L’Oréal-owned beauty powerhouse; she called Lancôme in. This shift turned a potential moment of confrontation into a gesture of collaboration, demonstrating a willingness to find common ground amidst the often-heated discourse surrounding beauty marketing.
This move highlights a growing trend where brands are seeking authentic engagement over pure self-promotion. By engaging directly, Sturino demonstrated that genuine advocacy can be more powerful than skepticism. It signals a pivot from a purely adversarial relationship to a shared responsibility in addressing important social issues through the lens of beauty and wellness.
The resulting post quickly garnered attention, appearing first on Beauty Independent. It served as a reminder that the line between brand rivalry and shared purpose is often beautifully blurred. The story of the “I’m Fine” campaign, therefore, became less about who was right and more about how beauty giants can collectively contribute to a more empathetic landscape.
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