As any glamorous gal can tell you, gluing on false eyelashes can be a tricky affair. But Maybelline New York is hoping to catch the attention of fashion-forward Canadians with a launch campaign for its new mascara, The Falsies, which includes the 3D transit shelter ads in major markets across the country.

This weekend, passersby were stopped in their tracks when the giant purple mascara wand entered their field of vision  in downtown Toronto – a reaction the brand was hoping for when it launched this high-impact campaign for the new mascara product.

‘This is the biggest innovation for Maybelline this year, so we thought, what greater [way] to provide impact than with doing a 3D execution outdoors?’ Joelle Maslaton, account supervisor, Marketel, explained. Montreal-based Marketel handled the creative and media planning, and buying was handled by ZenithOptimedia in Toronto.

It’s a highly competitive category, she emphasized, but The Falsies stands alone as a brush-on false eyelash product. Given the category, and the fact that it’s a ‘3D’ product, the goal behind the media campaign was to incorporate as many high-impact media as possible, she says.

The TSAs are part of a multi-phase media rollout for The Falsies launch campaign. It started at the beginning of summer with an online campaign across MTV.ca, fashion websites and the major Canadian portals, featuring expandable leaderboard banners with animated video of a makeup bag spilling open. The OOH just launched in Toronto and will expand to include Vancouver and Montreal on Sept. 6. Also in market right now are 30-second TV spots and pre-roll ads online, and The Falsies is currently the focus of the brand’s 30,000-fan strong Facebook page.

The media plan for the product launch continues in September with ad buys in the fall fashion magazines, including a gatefold cover execution with Flare magazine, and a new phase of the campaign will launch at the end of September.