case study
A NOVEL ROMANCE
Once upon a time, in the far-off land of heaving cleavages, windswept cliff-top embraces, and brawny chests, the romance novel reigned supreme. In fact, it still does. The frothy fictions whose campy covers shout at us from the checkout line have armies of devotees, and M·A·C Cosmetics tapped their lustful desires for the brand’s A Novel Romance color collection.
“As the kiss deepened, her body trembled — which only made his grip on her tighten. He wanted to keep his little bird…make her sing out with pleasure.”
Antonym delivered a clever* take on the classic romance novel, spun into an all-out homage, with book title-worthy shade names, illicit product descriptions and event copy, an exclusive interview with Harlequin executives and a New York Times bestselling romance novel author, and a titillating choose-your-own romantic adventure game for M·A·C social channels.
*We said clever, not corny.
THE ANTONYM EFFECT
“Stereotypes are lazy. These days, readers and writers of romantic fiction are just as likely to hold Master’s degrees and PhDs in literature, while a wide range of sub-genres from historical to the paranormal caters to every taste and fantasy. Women are used to being sold empty connections between their beauty and romantic desirability. Not this time. We paid reverence to the cunning wordplay and powerhouse narratives of this beloved genre by bringing the femme to the fore. Eschewing the damsel in distress for the haute heroine culminated in a 360-degree editorial strategy as evocative as the erotica it’s inspired by.”
THE LEXICON
Lust, Overwhelmed, Desire, Plunge, Surging Passion, Teeming, Burnished Beefcakes, Helpless Heroines, Lingering, Fantasy, Brazenly, Sultry, Thrill, Charged, Irresistible, Breathless
THE SHADE NAMES
Hearts Aflame, Lingering Kiss, Yield to Love, Bared for You, Pure Fiction, Sex & the Oyster, Black Tied, Animal Instincts, The Wrong Man
