- Shane Dawson is releasing a makeup line with Jeffree Star and the pair have been using a 9-part docuseries to promote it.
- In the fourth episode of the series, it was revealed that the series was also used in negotiations with makeup distributor Morphe.
- On a preliminary call with the brand, Dawson used placement in the documentary to help secure what was estimated at the time to be a multimillion-dollar distribution deal.
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YouTubers Shane Dawson and Jeffree Star pulled back the curtain on their nine-part docuseries Friday in the fourth installment that detailed the first negotiations around Dawson’s upcoming makeup line.
In a conversation with executives from makeup distributor Morphe, Dawson and Star explicitly used placement in the series to sell an exclusive partnership with the company, who will be distributing Dawson’s line come November.
“For the series, the Morphe thing is gonna be a huge part of it. I would love for it to be showing all of this, this process, this phone call, literally everything,” Dawson told the executives. He continued to trace a prospective narrative of the series with the brand that would include “going to the store the first time, seeing the display, going to the big meet and greet.”
After the call, Star estimated that Dawson would take home an initial profit of $10 million.
The revelation that Dawson and Star used placement in the documentary to sell their makeup is brazen, yet unsurprising.
From the start, the series appeared to be building to the launch of Dawson's makeup and was a nearly transparent effort to promote the line, without them being verbally explicit about the strategy.
With the call, the pair made clear that, at least in part, the series was used as part of a sales package in Dawson's ultimate multi-million dollar deal.
By virtue of centering Morphe in the series as part of his deal, Dawson, who has created a brand on candid interview-based portraits of YouTube stars, has moved from a model of traditional advertising and brand "shout outs" to one of dedicated sponsored and branded content.
For those who may have expected another one of Dawson's documentaries, the development may come as a surprise, but in the world of influencers and YouTubers, dedicated branded content is the norm.
The revenue stream has become so commonplace that YouTube provides its own tutorial on branded content in YouTube's creator academy to encourage YouTubers to strike deals with third parties.
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