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Etos
Etos x Novel the intern
Social Campaign
Turning a retail rivalry into the internet’s favorite love story
It started with one TikTok. Novel, an Etos intern, creator and familiar face on the brand’s social channels, spotted Aisha: a Kruidvat employee with a growing following of her own. Instead of scrolling past the competition, he did the unthinkable. He asked her out. From the Etos account.
What followed wasn’t a campaign in the traditional sense. It was a real-time internet love story that audiences, creators, competing brands and eventually the media couldn’t stop following.
WALK WITH US
Our Approach
Aisha had already built an engaged audience through her content at Kruidvat. So instead of treating the competition as off-limits, we turned one of retail’s most recognizable rivalries into the hook. He is Etos. She is Kruidvat. And if even the face of Kruidvat could fall for Etos, maybe her audience wouldn’t be far behind.
When Aisha responded to Novel’s first move in a livestream, we knew we had something bigger than a single TikTok. Novel turned to the audience: what should I do next? His suggestion? A candlelit dinner at Etos. From there, we let the internet help write the story. Every response, comment and unexpected interaction became an opportunity for the next episode.
LET'S DIVE DEEPER
Our Process
Rather than scripting the story upfront, we followed it wherever the internet took it: Novel prepared the date. Aisha kept responding. Audiences started picking sides. Then other brands and creators entered the chat, with bol, Lidl and Jesse Hoefnagels joining the conversation and turning one date invitation into an unofficial battle for Aisha’s attention.
And just when people wanted to know whether the date was actually happening, creator Nique caught Novel and Aisha meeting outside Etos. Filmed from a bike and from a distance, the lo-fi paparazzi video made it feel like the internet had caught the couple in the wild. Later, Etos revealed the same hug from its own behind-the-scenes perspective before taking audiences inside the actual date.
Livestream replies, audience questions, paparazzi footage, BTS reveals and a final date vlog became chapters of one unfolding story. No polished campaign rollout. Just social storytelling happening at the speed of culture. And yes: in the end, Aisha chose Novel 💖
HOW DID IT GO?
The Results
Turns out, the internet loves a forbidden retail romance.
Across TikTok and Instagram, the story generated over 1.67 million organic views, with 81.9K+ likes, 795 comments and 7.8K+ shares. On TikTok alone, the series reached 1.07M+ organic views, generating 69.7K likes, 565 comments and 5.4K shares. On Instagram, it added another 601K+ organic views, 12.1K likes, 230 comments and 2.3K shares.
But the biggest result was what happened beyond Etos’ own channels. Kruidvat joined the conversation. Lidl’s “It’s giving forbidden love…” comment picked up 1.6K+ likes. Other brands and creators tried to win Aisha over. And the story was organically picked up by FunX, The Best Social Media and Adformatie.
What started with one creator spotting another on his For You Page had become a story the wider internet wanted to be part of: a competitor became a love interest, a comment section became a writers’ room, and a first date became a social series.
Etos didn’t interrupt the internet. It gave the internet a story to follow.
