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Mary Kay Gets Real

Branding & Graphic Design, Digital & Social Media, Public Relations & Crisis / September 25, 2025 by Braithwaite

2 Min Read

Mary Kay Gets Real


“Is Mary Kay still around?” 

It’s not the kind of question most companies want to hear. Yet Mary Kay is posting it and other questions like it on its own social channels.

The direct-selling skin care and cosmetics marketer recently launched a new campaign titled “Miss Conceptions.”

The spots feature a character named Miss Conceptions addressing myths about the brand.

She tackles questions like “Isn’t Mary Kay just for grandmas?” to “set the record straight” for younger generations.

Here’s Candie Rodriguez, Vice President, Marketing & Sales Support, Mary Kay, in the release announcing the campaign:

“Through Miss Conceptions, we’re reintroducing ourselves to today’s consumer – while reminding the next generation that Mary Kay is a place where beauty and opportunity meet.”

Mary Kay’s business model has always generated brand devotees and detractors. And after 60+ years in business, it makes sense that the company is eager to evolve its image with younger generations.

Acknowledging Brand Blemishes

Knowing how audiences perceive your brand and the specific parts of your story that don’t always resonate is essential to effective marketing and branding.

At Braithwaite, we use an exercise called Story Stopping Points to help uncover and dissect these challenges. A stopping point can be anything from “it’s too expensive” or “I don’t want to sign up for another thing” to “I already trust a competitor” or “I don’t understand what it does.”

The point isn’t to change the product or offer. It’s to adjust the story and marketing approach. Or, in some cases, redefine the audience to focus on people who don’t share those reservations.

It’s a powerful exercise that gives people an opportunity to think about what a brand story needs to overcome. To get the most value, look for a variety of voices. Sales teams or fundraising teams may list a very different set of stopping points than customer service or marketing folks.

Long Story Short


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