How do you dip into nostalgia and update something as powerful and influential as the 1991 tagline “Maybe It’s Maybelline” to use globally in 2024 when strangers have so much influence over feelings and opinions that support consumer purchases?

When Maybelline’s jingle was created “thirty years ago, we lived in a much more fragmented world, and all countries had their own version,” says Julie Delazyn, global head of brand communications, at Maybelline NY, a L’Oréal brand.

The original jingle appeared in a television commercial for Finish Matte.

And while it has been the brand’s identity since, the challenge to update the sound attached to the three iconic words meant understanding how it transcends generations and global boundaries.

Maybelline New York worked with sonic branding agency Sixième Son to take the melody across generations and allow each of them separately to adapt and stand out across digital content, including social media. Global creative agency Gotham supports the campaign. 

“There are big things coming in 2025,” she said, adding that Maybelline will use the jingle in ads, but selectively.

The jingle already has been used on social media in the TikTok account of paid influencer Meredith Duxbury, with 18.5 million followers, has received more than 1,879 comments on the jingle and video she created. People admit the sound is catchy and addictive, but one commenter said “bro this ad pops up more than my heart has beated in my whole life.” Some people are looking for a longer version.

Some of the videos with the new jingle have gone viral with 26 million views on TikTok, Delazyn said.

“Reimagining iconic content evokes brand heritage and nostalgia, key ingredients in driving differentiation,” she said.

“When you have a strong asset it’s sometimes difficult to make modifications,” said Michael Boumendil, CEO of Sixieme Son, the agency that recreated it. “It’s the brand’s icon. But the brand is so clear as to what it stands for. Maybelline sees its relationship with customers.”

What do you feel when you listen to the jingle? he said. Boumendil described it as a feeling of confidence and joy and an energy and positive image of life — almost a liberation.

“Brands must understand that they cannot do without music,” he said. “Music is everywhere. Most of the brands today pick up content and music from stock music libraries. It’s not unique.”

AI is sometimes used to present several versions of the jingle, Boumendil said, but the final version for Maybelline was created by humans. 

Maybelline is not the only L’Oréal brand to move toward social. The parent company has expanded its partnership with Pinterest to drive brand growth.

About 84% of Gen Z weekly Pinterest users saying they discover products that fit their taste and style while shopping on Pinterest.

L’Oréal brands are experimenting with Pinterest’s new advertising features and exploring trends to engage with Gen Z. Maybelline’s investment in Gen Z on Pinterest has increased 90% year-over-year (YoY), and 48% of their engaged audience on the platform is also Gen Z. 

Gen Z is actively seeking out Maybelline New York content on Pinterest, per the platform, with searches for “maybelline” having increased more than 32% YoY, with half of these searches coming from Gen Z. 

For back-to-school, Maybelline created Collages Remixes that tapped the trending CorpCore fashion aesthetic and drove an engagement rate more than 5x the brand’s average and the beauty vertical average. Each L’Oréal brand had a one-week feature in the Collage creation flow — a premium placement built for the company as part of this sponsorship. Each brand stood behind a different Pinterest trend.

For example, Maybelline partnered with Pinterest to receive an advanced look at its 2024 Halloween trends and partnered with their influencer network the “Babellines,” to create Halloween costumes tutorials, all inspired by Pinterest trends. 

Maybelline also dedicated a portion of its site to spotlight these Halloween trends that correspond with influencer content. 

How do you update something as powerful and influential as the 1991 tagline “Maybe It’s Maybelline” to use globally in 2024?