🥚 The Ordinary’s Egg Stunt: Genius Marketing or PR Over-Easy?

The Ordinary’s Egg Stunt

Skincare brand The Ordinary is known for minimalist packaging, science-first formulas, and prices that make luxury labels squirm. But no one expected it to enter the grocery space — let alone start selling cartons of eggs during a food inflation crisis.

So why did a vegan skincare brand suddenly start selling eggs?

At Boston Waves, we’re always looking for moments where marketing collides with culture. The Ordinary’s egg campaign is a perfect example of how a bold, unexpected move can spark conversation — but not without risk.

📉 The Context

A nationwide bird flu outbreak sent egg prices soaring, especially in New York City. With some stores charging up to $12 per dozen, locals started getting creative — from delis selling loose eggs in Ziplocs to social media jokes about eggs becoming luxury goods.

Sensing an opportunity, The Ordinary launched a limited-time campaign selling cartons of eggs for “ordinary” prices at its Manhattan stores. The eggs were $2 cheaper than Trader Joe’s and clearly branded with The Ordinary’s signature label.

🧠 Why It Got Attention

Here’s what made the campaign stick — and trend:

1. It Was Unexpected

The absurdity of a skincare brand selling eggs during a food crisis created instant buzz. It disrupted consumer expectations and sparked curiosity — two key ingredients for virality.

2. Brand Alignment Through Pricing

The Ordinary built its reputation on cutting through inflated beauty pricing. Selling eggs — an inflated basic necessity — reinforced that same brand positioning. The product may be unrelated, but the message stayed consistent: fair pricing matters.

3. Social-First Execution

The campaign was designed to live on Instagram. Aesthetic packaging, tongue-in-cheek messaging, and MSCHF-style trolling created viral traction and repostability. The tag to art collective MSCHF was a wink to the audience: this was part stunt, part statement.

🧐 The Pushback

Of course, not everyone was sold.

Critics pointed out the irony of a vegan, cruelty-free brand selling animal products. Others noted that if the campaign were truly about helping, the eggs could have been distributed in low-income neighborhoods — not just trend-forward retail locations in Nolita and Fifth Ave.

Some called it performative. Others applauded its sharp commentary on inflation and pricing. Either way, it had people talking — and that was the point.

🎯 Boston Waves Takeaway

The Ordinary’s egg campaign wasn’t about nutrition. It was a branding play — and a successful one at that. Here’s what we can learn:

• ✅ Use cultural timing to your advantage

• ✅ Don’t be afraid to disrupt expectations

• ✅ Keep your message aligned even if the medium changes

• ❗ But be ready for pushback if execution overshadows intention

The best marketing campaigns start conversations — and The Ordinary did just that.