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This is the most successful consumer campaign we have ever delivered.
Miles Rees
Deputy Director of IP Enforcement, IPO
Organisation type
Public sector
Sector
Consumer protection
Service
Counterfeit beauty and hygiene products can cause serious harm, yet many young women in the UK are unaware of the risks.
The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) asked Barley Communications to design and deliver a behaviour change communications campaign targeting women aged 18–30. The goal was to expose the hidden dangers of fake perfumes, lipsticks and concealers, and to encourage safer, better-informed purchasing choices.
Grounded in research and consumer insight, we developed Choose Safe, Not Fake — a behaviour change consultancy programme and campaign designed to shift attitudes and influence real-world decisions.
Understanding where our audience spends time online, we built a strategy centred on targeted social media activity, influencer partnerships and collaboration with trusted consumer protection organisations, including Citizens Advice.
Instagram proved critical given its reach among our target audience. We delivered a mix of high-impact multimedia content, ensuring key messages were seen repeatedly across the campaign period. Influencer selection focused on credibility and audience alignment, enabling authentic storytelling and amplifying engagement far beyond paid activity.
We backed this with powerful real-world case studies and striking visual assets that exposed the realities of fake beauty products. Combined, these elements created a multi-channel approach that exceeded every KPI and generated widespread coverage across TV, print and online platforms.
The campaign successfully raised awareness of the risks posed by counterfeit beauty and hygiene products, directly addressing the objectives set by the IPO.
Choose Safe, Not Fake exceeded all reach and engagement KPIs. One in five consumers recalled the campaign — a clear sign that the messaging resonated — while content engagement grew more than threefold compared with the previous year’s behaviour change campaign. Influencer activity further accelerated conversations about the harms associated with fake products.
Coverage across flagship programmes including ITV’s This Morning and the BBC’s Morning Live reached millions, and partnerships with consumer protection bodies strengthened credibility. As a result, one in four consumers were able to recognise the dangers of counterfeit beauty products, helping empower young women to make safer choices and cementing the IPO’s position as a trusted voice in consumer protection.
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This is the most successful consumer campaign we have ever delivered.
Miles Rees
Deputy Director of IP Enforcement, IPO
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