A few nights ago, I sat down to watch Tracee Ellis Ross’ new Roku show, Solo Traveling. On the surface, it’s a city-hopping travel series with subtle promotion for her haircare brand, Pattern Beauty.
But what made it stand out is that it didn’t feel like a commercial, and it didn’t feel like Tracee and the production team were trying to intentionally hide the fact that Pattern Beauty was being integrated into the show as an ad, in fact, it was very obvious. It felt like a YouTube vlog. The handheld angles, the candid packing moments, the playful direct-to-camera energy, it all felt human, warm, and real.
Instead of the show forcing Pattern into the narrative, it felt like she was inviting us into her life. Showing us how she styles her hair before going out for dinner, or simply telling us to scan a QR code at the end of the episodes.
Why This Works So Well
1. The “Vlog Effect” → AuthenticityThe YouTube style of “sit down with me” or “come along” is one of the internet’s most trusted formats. When Tracee spoke directly to the camera, it felt like a personal conversation, not a forced brand script.
2. Behind-the-Scenes AccessWe didn’t just see Pattern Beauty products on a shelf. We saw how Tracee travels with them, why she packs what she does, and how it fits into her day. Those “how” moments made the brand feel lived in.
3. Building the Person Builds the BrandPeople buy into people. When Tracee is vulnerable, playful, or insightful, Pattern becomes more than a conditioner, it becomes part of a lifestyle, part of her. It’s not everyday that we see celebrities take their own braids out in their hotel rooms, while eating french fries and sipping wine. That’s such a real, and relatable moment, esp for Black and Brown women.
Talent in the Wild 🤳🏽
This approach is part of a bigger cultural playbook that has worked for various celebrities in the past:
Cardi B → IG and Tiktok made her unfiltered rants legendary and built trust before the hits even dropped.
DJ Khaled → Snapchat was his personal reality show. “Major key” wasn’t a campaign, it was practically his daily vlog.
Vic Mensa → Shares raw, everyday updates that expanded his music persona into a worldview.
Megan Thee Stallion → Hottie Bootcamp vlog series took fans inside her fitness journey, sweat, struggle, humor, all of it.
The lesson? When celebs act like vloggers and influencers, the audience buys into the human, not just the PR machine.
Brands Getting It Right
Airbnb – Their “Made Possible By Hosts” series often features creators documenting their trips vlog-style. It sells hospitality by letting us peek into lived experiences.
Netflix – Instead of only trailers, they drop “Behind the Scenes” clips. Fans feel like insiders, not just viewers.
Glossier – Early on, Emily Weiss had Glossier team members film their routines on iPhones. It wasn’t polished; it was relatable. That’s how they built community.
Love Island – Genius move: handing contestants phones throughout the season so they can film their own behind-the-scenes moments. The raw, handheld POV makes fans feel like they’re scrolling a friend’s camera roll, not just watching reality TV. It extends the brand beyond the glossy edits into a “lived-in” cultural feed.
Each of these brands understood and overstand the magic: show people what it feels like to use the product by letting them into the human side of it.
Translate It To Your Brand
Think handheld. Swap studio lighting for a vlog aesthetic. The shaky camera might actually be a great strategy. Content that is overproduced, especially on platforms like TikTok, look more like an ad than organic content.
Narrate the “how.” Don’t just show the product, show the process. How it fits into life. How would your customer use it? Does it align to that thinking?
Use platforms interchangeably. A vlog-style clip works on YouTube, but also as TikTok series, IG Reels, or even chopped into ad units.
Marry distribution + intimacy. Tracee used Roku (a mass platform) with a YouTube tone (intimate). That hybrid thinking and production value is the future.
In a world where audiences crave connection, sometimes the smartest brand strategy isn’t a campaign at all. It’s giving your users a peak into your innovation, use cases, or daily moments, etc.
And if more celebrities, and brands, leaned into that unpolished, human lens? They wouldn’t just move product. They’d build trust, community, and cultural longevity.
The most powerful storytelling tool isn’t the billboard or the ad buy, it’s the feeling that the person behind the camera can truly connect with you as a consumer.
Question for you: Which celebrity or brand do you think could crush a vlog-style format if they committed to it and why?
More soon,Millie
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