Why Ulta’s Holiday Ad with Selena Gomez and Tate McRae Works
Ulta Beauty's holiday ad pairs Selena Gomez and Tate McRae with Mrs. Claus, and both stars are selling products they founded.
The ad in one paragraph
Ulta Beauty’s 2026 holiday campaign brings back Mrs. Claus for a second season, this time alongside Selena Gomez and Tate McRae. Created by Tamara Group and directed by Nema Vand, the spot opens in a holiday workshop where Mrs. Claus asks for a gift for her niece, then cuts to Gomez holding a wrapped Rare Beauty brow gel set. A companion moment puts McRae’s Tate 01 fragrance, exclusive to Ulta in the U.S., at the centre. It is aimed at holiday shoppers, especially beauty buyers who do the giving and rarely put themselves on the list.
The levers it pulls
Three behavioural principles do most of the work.
- Founder credibility. Gomez and McRae are not hired guns. Gomez founded Rare Beauty, which Ulta began carrying in February as the brand’s first retail expansion beyond Sephora. McRae’s Tate 01 launched in October during Paris Fashion Week and is exclusive to Ulta in the U.S. Because the stars are selling their own products, the endorsement reads as pride of ownership rather than a scripted celebrity read.
- Self-gifting permission. The line “The Magic Starts with You” gives shoppers cover to buy for themselves during a season built around others. Ulta’s chief marketing officer Kelly Mahoney says the holidays can become so focused on making everything magical for everyone else that we forget to enjoy those moments ourselves. The film makes the product an emotional payoff, not just a gift for someone else.
- Character fluency. Mrs. Claus returns after last year’s spot with Paris Hilton, Kholé Kardashian and Kylie Jenner. Reusing the character makes the campaign feel familiar and continuous, so viewers process the new faces faster and connect them to an existing brand property.
That combination—founder authenticity, self-gifting, and a recurring character—gives the film more psychological texture than a standard festive celebrity ad.
What it does for the brand
Starting today (Oct. 31), the campaign rolls out across TV, streaming, digital, social media and in-store experiences. The film works as a retail strategy, not just a holiday greeting. It positions Ulta as the home of founder-led beauty lines, with Rare Beauty’s expansion and Tate 01’s exclusivity built into the story. The campaign also extends its seasonal property: the tagline and Mrs. Claus character carry over from last year, so brand memory compounds instead of resetting. By playing into Ulta’s viral “Pink Bag Energy” on Instagram, it connects a big broadcast moment to the platform where beauty fans already share hauls and recommendations.
What to borrow for your next campaign
If you have a founder or creator with real ownership, put them in the ad and show the actual product they made.
- Use owners, not just endorsers, to make the pitch feel earned.
- Give shoppers explicit permission to self-gift, especially in a giving-heavy season.
- Bring back a recurring character or motif so each campaign builds on the last.
- Connect the film to an existing social ritual or meme to extend its life.
The Ulta formula is simple: a familiar face, a personal product, and a reason to keep something for yourself.
Watch the original: Ulta Beauty on YouTube
Source: Adweek
