Client: amika
Services: Full-funnel media strategy, planning, buying, optimization, influencer partnerships, and analytics
Overview and Challenges:
In 2025, amika partnered with January Digital to scale growth across the increasingly competitive prestige haircare category while maintaining the community-first approach that sets the brand apart.
As amika expanded across Sephora, Ulta, and Amazon and introduced new products throughout the year, the team needed to build sustained awareness, focus on retail performance, and increase revenue across platforms and launches without losing the authentic connection at the heart of the brand.
Goals:
- Build awareness and engagement through accessible, creator-led storytelling.
- Turn product launches into sustained growth across the full portfolio.
- Accelerate performance within retailers including Sephora, Ulta, and Amazon.
- Drive measurable full-funnel impact across TikTok, Meta, YouTube, CTV, and Amazon Ads.
Our Work:
January Digital built an always-on media ecosystem that paired creator-led storytelling, platform-specific creative, and real-time optimization to drive sustained growth across brand and retail channels.
- Built an always-on growth model: Connected launches, core products, creator storytelling, and media investment to build sustained momentum throughout the year rather than relying on one-time campaign spikes.
- Developed a full-funnel video strategy: Leveraged longer-form video across YouTube and CTV to build awareness, while shorter creator-led content on TikTok and Meta drove engagement and conversion.
- Scaled creator-led storytelling: Amplified stylists, transformation-focused creators, and culturally relevant talent to build credibility, showcase diverse hair types, and extend high-performing content through paid media.
- Aligned media with retail growth: Tailored creator education, social storytelling, and media investment to support amika’s expansion into Ulta while driving continued growth across Sephora and Amazon.
- Optimized investment in real time: Leveraged creative, channel, audience, product, and retailer performance signals to continuously shift spend toward the strongest opportunities throughout the year.
Results and Business Impact:
- 221% lift versus historical engagement benchmarks through the distributed creator ecosystem.
- Achieved all-time-high brand lift results on TikTok and Meta across awareness, ad recall, and purchase intent.
- Ranked the #2 haircare brand at Ulta within the first month in stores, exceeding retailer goals by 85%.
- Delivered a record sales week at Sephora in December.
- Achieved a record year in revenue, including the biggest days, weeks, and months in amika history.
- Increased Black Friday/Cyber Monday revenue 25% YoY.
- Grew Amazon sales 20% YoY despite lower competitive spend.
- Increased sales 90% YoY during the Amazon Spring Sale.
- Improved share of voice across priority subcategories while increasing new-to-brand customer acquisition.
