Culture

Beauty Reframed: From Traditional to Digital

At HYD Studio, we partner with a range of beauty brands. From start-ups to established brands, we seek to unfold their forever values, craft compelling stories and define them as market leaders in an increasingly competitive market.

The beauty industry dates back centuries; with research showing that materials used for beauty tools go back over millennia. Manoeuvring its way through cultural changes and evolving with technological advancements, the industry has enjoyed huge growth, driven primarily by big business advertising through the 20th and early 21st centuries. The industry, dominated by traditional advertising, has recently experienced a shift in how beauty brands advertise and engage with their consumers.

Perhaps the most significant change in recent times has been social media and how consumers engage with social media. Americans spent on average 1,300 hours on social media throughout 2020, that’s 6.7 days, according to Forbes. With this amount of consumption, it’s no surprise brands have made the leap to social media advertising from traditional advertising companies. However, one thing remains unexplained. Whilst there has been an increase in using paid ads on social media, there has been an even bigger surge in paid influencer marketing by individuals on social media.

Social media has heralded a new era of advertising; one where influencers and communities are now the industry heavyweights, and print advertising is no longer king. A new era has evolved in the industry and here’s how…

THE RISE OF INFLUENCER MARKETING

Influencers have become the new brand ambassadors. Their ability to shape perception and build trust has become one of the most effective tools for beauty brands seeking relevance in a saturated market. one increasingly crowded by celebrity-led labels with audiences of their own.

The industry is full of examples: Hailey Bieber’s Rhode Skin, John Legend’s Loved01, and Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics, a brand that grew into one of the most followed beauty labels online. After selling a majority stake to Coty for $600 million in 2020, Jenner remains the driving force behind its marketing, using her personal and brand platforms, which together reach over 379 million followers, to directly connect with her audience.

Beauty brands have followed suit, collaborating with influencers to reach and engage their own communities. According to Morning Consult, 82% of Gen Z and Millennials trust the opinions of influencers, and 78% follow them specifically to discover new brands. This trust has tangible results.

A report by Tribe Dynamics found that in the first quarter of 2021, beauty brands earned $1.6 billion in media value from influencer content alone. With the influencer economy growing more than 300% in five years (Statista, 2022), it’s clear that the power of influence has reshaped the beauty landscape entirely.

The rise of TikTok and the rise of beauty videos on TikTok - #beauty had over 82 billion views and was one of the most popular categories on the platform in 2020 - has encouraged brands to embrace user-generated content through community-driven marketing strategies.

THE POWER OF COMMUNITIES

Online communities are a cornerstone of the beauty industry, with social media, again, transforming how these have developed.

NYX Cosmetics, one of the very first beauty brands to embrace user-generated content, encouraged customers to share photos wearing NYX products using the hashtag #nyxcosmetics. Glossier, also quick to react, built its cult following by posting user-generated content and influencer collaborations, creating highly engaged customers across its platforms. And not forget, the Fenty Beauty by Rihanna campaign generated over 5 billion views on TikTok (Fenty Beauty is now valued at $2.8 billion dollars…). By bringing the consumer into brand campaigns and engaging with them, brands build lasting followers and, ultimately, increase sales.

Aside from user-generated content, micro and macro influencers have also played their part in developing these online communities. Micro-influencers create captivating content that reaches larger and more engaged audiences and macro-influencers gain ground through their long-term relationships with brands, creating trust and ultimately strengthening the message brands convey to consumers. By taking advantage of the various levels of engagement from these online communities, beauty brands are better placed to provide highly tailored messages that meet specific consumer needs. Further solidifying online communities' position in the beauty industry.

THE FUTURE OF THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY

The beauty industry has come a long way, and the rise of social media has transformed it in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago. The influence of influencers on social media has given individuals a greater voice in determining what products are popular and successful, allowing for more diverse perspectives to be heard. This shift from traditional advertising campaigns to influencer marketing has enabled beauty brands to build more personal relationships with their customers. Through tools, such as Instagram lives, it creates a deeper connection between the brand and consumer, building trust and sales.
The industry and influencers will become ever more intertwined. Influencer marketing will continue to grow as consumers continue to spend more time on social apps and brands will consequently rely more upon influencers to reach wider audiences whilst shaping consumer trends.

Moreover, technology has allowed beauty brands to track consumer behaviour across different platforms in real time, allowing them to push marketing campaigns relevant to the individual consumer whilst measuring their success rate more accurately. This data can also be used to innovate new products and services with greater accuracy than ever before, enabling beauty brands to stay competitive in an increasingly crowded marketplace.

Overall, social media will continue to dramatically transform the beauty industry by providing more access and control over product recommendations and treatments as well as enabling brands to build deeper relationships with their customers through influencer marketing initiatives and advanced analytics tools.

HOW WE CAN HELP

Our Studio specialises in providing comprehensive social media services, including social strategy and content creation. On learning our client's forever values, we seek to tell their unique stories and create an on-brand visual narrative, capturing their essence. We collaborate with PR agencies that specialise in the beauty industry and have access to an extensive network of micro and macro influencers. We leverage our expertise in strategy and design and integrate PR techniques to deliver effective results for our clients. We are committed to elevating clients’ digital presence through engaging content, that resonates with their target audience.