AETHOS

Transforming transformation

Aethos is a luxury medical aesthetics practice on Manhattan's Upper East Side, founded by board-certified plastic surgeon David P. Rapaport, MD, FACS. Built on the legacy of his sister practices, Rapaport Plastic Surgery and CoolSpa, Aethos was created to professionalize the medspa category: evidence-based treatments, personalized programs, and plastic surgeon oversight at every step.

Ruckus was engaged in 2023 to take the new brand to market and run its marketing engine end to end: campaign strategy and creative, organic and paid social, email marketing, influencer partnerships, and a new website designed and built from scratch.

Starting from an audience of zero

Aethos launched with world-class credentials but no recognition of its own, in one of the loudest categories in New York, an NYC medspa scene that runs on trends and hype. Aethos was built as the antidote, science-first, judgement-free, surgeon-led, and the marketing had to sound like it and earn trust fast in a market where trust is everything. No following, no email list, no playbook. Every channel, audience, and system had to be built from the ground up, then proven with data.

The one mark that is unmistakably yours

Two campaign platforms were developed and pressure-tested before Your Signature Beauty was selected as the final direction. Drawing on the uniqueness of a signature, it celebrates each patient's move toward a visual identity that is undeniably their own, delivered through neutral palettes, inclusive photography, and negative space. The tone stays confident and approachable, educating rather than selling, and emphasizes self-care over vanity.

Ruckus translated the platform into a full-funnel engine: educational Instagram Reels in the Signature Series, a full-funnel Meta and TikTok media structure, and a Klaviyo email program built from zero with Welcome Series and Browse Abandonment flows and a deliverability overhaul. A new site at aethosnyc.com launched in December 2024 with before-and-after galleries, provider bios, and an analytics stack wired for paid media from day one.

A standing start, measured

By Q3 2024, the operation Ruckus built was driving real volume for a brand-new name, with transparent reporting across paid, organic, and email built into the engagement itself, through monthly reports and quarterly deep dives. The influencer program, designed as a turnkey operating system with documented briefs, master contracts, and active creator pipelines, sourced 40 influencers and got 25 client-approved, with live collaborations from creators like Halley Kate and Casey Malone, delivered complete in January 2025.