Case Study — MAC Cosmetics
The TikTok Shop launch
that set the platform records.
MAC Cosmetics is one of the world's most recognised makeup brands. Despite a strong retail and DTC heritage, the brand was experiencing year-on-year decline on its direct-to-consumer channel — and watching a growing commerce ecosystem emerge on TikTok Shop without them in it. The opportunity was clear. The execution had to match the brand.
Enter TikTok Shop and generate £1M in GMV within the first three months. For a brand starting from zero on the platform — no affiliate base, no LIVE infrastructure, no footprint in the creator ecosystem — that was an aggressive target with no room for a slow build.
Working closely with the MAC brand team and TikTok's own representatives, a three-month plan was structured around one principle: make an unmistakable impact at launch, then protect and grow that momentum across the quarter. Every lever — affiliates, LIVE commerce, and paid media — was built to work in concert from day one.
Affiliate Strategy
Recruitment was focused on quality over volume — prioritising creators who were already genuine MAC advocates, and MAC's own store makeup artists, who brought trained product knowledge, brand authority, and an authenticity that mass recruitment cannot replicate. Alongside recruitment, a complete programme structure was built from the start: affiliate LIVE scheduling, webinars, competitions, incentive tiers, and sample quotas. Infrastructure first, scale second.
LIVE Commerce
The LIVE calendar was built around three escalating moments. An opening mega LIVE established MAC's presence on the platform with scale and intent — delivering what TikTok themselves recognised as a platform record. Month two centred on a landmark brand activation featuring Doja Cat, one of the most globally recognised names associated with MAC. Month three was anchored by a co-funded MAC Super Brand Week in partnership with TikTok — a five-day commercial moment that became one of the standout activations on the platform that quarter.
Paid Media
GMV Max campaigns were built and managed personally throughout the quarter. During the TikTok Grand Opening campaign, spend thresholds had to be met to unlock co-investment — those criteria were hit. Beyond the launch period, campaigns were optimised progressively through structured testing and reallocation, walking campaign ROI from 3x to 4.5x over the three months.
The Results
MAC indexed at 100 on Google Trends during the campaign period — peak UK search interest over a 12-month window. The data makes the case that TikTok Shop, executed at this level, functions as a demand generation engine as much as a commerce channel.
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