Bath & Body Works

The Mission to Bring Back Billie

What happens when a rubber duck inspires a social media movement??

Background

Billie the Duck was more than a squeaky bathtub toy—Billie was a Bath & Body Works icon. But in 2022, Billie quietly waddled into retirement as the brand evolved its product lineup.
Then, the unexpected happened. Comment sections lit up. DMs poured in. “Where’s Billie?” became a full-blown movement.

But instead of casually bringing Billie back into the fold, we made it a moment and leveled up the maritime mascot. Enter Billie: Your Scent Bestie—bigger, bolder, and now the official face of the Semi-Annual Sale. This wasn’t just a reappearance; it was a full-on glow-up.
We transformed Billie into a life-sized mascot with main-character energy—delivering cheeky charm, scent expertise and enough personality to light up an entire candle aisle.

Journey

Making a Mascot a Movement

We worked closely with Bath & Body Works and vendor partners to create a custom, one-of-a-kind mascot—designed to bring joy, chaos and very strong scent opinions to every feed. From trending TikTok audio to Gen Z humor, we positioned Billie as a content star. Armed with snappy scent advice and a "trust-me-I’m-a-duck" attitude, Billie brought the perfect combo of entertainment, engagement and, of course, sales.

What made it work:

  • The Billie Aesthetic: A larger-than-life presence that instantly captured attention.
  • A Social-First Strategy: Memes, sass and a content series fans wanted to watch.
  • Sales Support: Billie went beyond engagement to convert shoppers into superfans.

Fans didn’t just watch; they celebrated with Billie, shopped with Billie and demanded more at every step. They even asked for a plushie, merch and a Billie-inspired fragrance—all serious and silly at the same time.

Outcomes

Billie’s return was big and bright, in true giant-yellow-duck fashion.

  • 46%
    increase in total impressions

    (13M TY)

  • 66%
    boost in engagements

    (413K TY)

  • 4.4%
    jump in engagement rate

    (double the brand average)

  • 21%
    drop in negative sentiment for SAS YOY

And the fan reviews were just as big.

  • 🦆 “Never leave us, Billie! We need you!”

  • 🦆 “When can we meet Billie in-store?”

  • 🦆 “Billie deserves their own fragrance!”

  • 🦆 “We’re living for Billie’s content series!”

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