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Dec. 19

Influencer Marketing in the Beauty Industry

By Emily Sano
Fellow of Digital Media & Management

In a world driven by social media, the utilization of influencer marketing has become a crucial tool in business’s social media marketing plans, especially within the beauty industry. As a Fellow of Marketing at O’Pake, a Digital Media Marketing and Business Management major at Alvernia I have always been interested in the way beauty brands market themselves through social media. Over the past few years influencer marketing as become increasingly more popular as social media influencers transition to celebrity status attending Red Carpets and other high status events. Influencer marketing is “a type of social media marketing that uses endorsements and product mentions from influencers – individuals who have a dedicated social following and are viewed as experts within their niche.” This type of marketing is becoming extremely popular and can be seen regularly in makeup tutorials by big artists such as Nikkie de Jager (@NikkieTutorials) or Mikayla Nogueira (@Mikaylajmakeup) who showcase their favorite products on all platforms. However, selecting the right influencer to promote the brands product can be key to an authentic promotion for both parties. Considering things such as what brands the influencer already frequently uses, the kind of relationship they have with their audience, and what platform they are most active on are all things that a brand must consider when reaching out with a business opportunity. However, once the right influencer has been chosen, influencer marketing can be beneficial to cosmetic brands for several reasons:
 

1. Established trust

Surprisingly, makeup purchases are not taken lightly and can become very pricey depending on what the consumer is looking for. The average person may not have the knowledge needed to make the best decision on what product to spend their money on, consequently sending them
look to their favorite beauty influencer to recommend products to them. Followers of influencers often feel a personal connection and a strong level of trust built up over years of watching them through their ups and downs and listening to previous advice. For this reason, influencer’s product recommendations are more likely to encourage buying from followers than seeing an ad randomly show up on their social media feed.
 

2. Guaranteed target market

When brands use beauty influencers to promote their product they not only know that they will be reaching people who are interested in their specific product, in this case makeup, they can see the different demographics the influencer reaches and relates to.
 

3. Premade quality content

When utilizing an influencer to promote a brand’s product, it takes away the hassle of filming or photographing product photos and guarantees quality content that the consumer has already established they enjoy by watching the video. This is especially beneficial for makeup products which are best promoted through before and after results as well as tutorial videos. Not knowing how a product works or what it will look like when applied is one of the reasons many are apprehensive about buying new products and another reason why having a trusted influencer explain and recommend a product is that much more beneficial.
 

4. Honest Feedback

As with everything on social media, people are going to voice their opinion. However, using public platforms to promote products gives brands the opportunity to not only take the feedback and make adjustments on a product, but to reply and sort out any problems followers of the influencer’s may have had with a product. Followers may also have feedback on why or why not they are interested in the product which can be crucial information to encourage a brand to make a change in their influencer marketing approach in the future.
 

The perfect match of influencer and brand can make a mutually beneficial relationship that not only grows both their brands, but can help their followers and future customers make an informed purchase that is best for them! To see some examples of influencer marketing in action, check out this post by Mikayla Nogueira, who has partnered with Glamlite to promote her own line of make-up and Glamlite as a brand through a giveaway!

Nov. 28

Marketing Mistakes to Avoid to Dodge Disaster: A Series of Case Studies

By Marisol Martinez-Alvarez
Fellow of Management and Marketing

In today’s world, messaging in marketing is key. In order to appease to a broad audience, making sure that you have conducted the proper market research can decide whether or not your campaign is successful or is potentially harmful or offensive. We have gathered five marketing campaign nightmares that went horribly wrong and why. Through the marketing campaigns, we discuss the impact of the marketing fails that allow you to see how to avoid mistakes when creating your marketing campaign to ensure entrepreneurial success.
 

Coca-Cola

On April 25, 1985, Coca-Cola announced it would change its soft drink formula and launch New Coke. The purpose of New Coke was to establish a better soft drink in the market because the company thought its product no longer served its customers. The announcement was not taken lightly by customers, who were not satisfied when the soft drink was launched. Customers boycotted and voiced their opinions on the soft drink claiming it was not good. By July 11, 1985, Coca-Cola had to bring the original soft drink back because of the negative impact of the New Coke campaign. Businesses always introduce new products to the market, so why did Coca-Cola’s campaign fail? The campaign failed because the company’s perception based on research was not perceived the same way by Coca-Cola’s consumers. The original soft drink had no issues, and Coca-Cola replaced it by introducing a new product and getting rid of something popular and loved. The marketing campaign negatively impacted the company rather than improving it. It is essential to understand that getting rid of a product is not always the answer.
 

KFC

In 1987 the Chinese restaurant market was introduced to their fast-food chain restaurant, Kentucky Fried Chicken. The opening of KFC was a huge deal in China because it was the first fast-food chain restaurant to open in the region. KFC located their restaurant in Beijing, China, where many locals awaited the grand opening. As KFC extended its market in China, it used its famous slogan in its marketing campaign, “Finger-Lickin’ Good,” which translated to “Eat your fingers off.” The slogan was meant to describe how good KFC chicken was and did the opposite due to the incorrect translation. KFC was the first fast food chain to exemplify its market outside the United States. The company failed to adapt to its first international campaign’s different cultural settings and languages. The translation is essential when communicating a company’s mission in a foreign market. It is crucial that the translation of a campaign is seen and not overlooked.
 

The Department of Education

The Department of Education tweeted a quote on Twitter by W.E.B. Du Bois that was aimed to highlight the impact of the activist. The tweet was posted, but the post was instantly called out for the misspelling error in Du Bois’s name. The Department of Education proceeded to post an apology but happened to misspell another word within the tweet again. Marketing is aimed at a market full of current and potential customers, which makes grammar a crucial component since it influences the customer’s perception of professionalism and credibility. Ultimately, misspelling errors and typos tend to occur, making proofreading an essential part of the marketing process.
 

GAP

In 2010 GAP decided to rebrand its company by removing its most famous attribute, its logo. At the time, GAP was struggling to maintain business partially due to the financial crisis of 2007- 2008. Their goal was to revamp their brand to improve company sales. GAP randomly released its new logo without communicating with its customers, which did not turn out well. Customers were confused and didn’t understand why the company decided to change its logo to something that didn’t represent the company. The logo only lasted for a total of six days until the original logo replaced it. A logo represents and distinguishes a business. It is what makes or breaks a company. A lot of time and effort has to go into it because the logo has meaning. If a logo is poorly thought out, planned, and executed, it can become a failure that will negatively impact how a business is viewed.
 

Airbnb

Airbnb launched the “Floating World” marketing campaign on August 26, 2017. The campaign was marketing and promoting Airbnb’s aquatic water-themed rental services. The campaign was sent via email, and promotional remarks like “Stay above water” were made. Nine days before the email was sent to email subscribers. Hurricane Harvey struck the state of Texas. The hurricane caused several deaths, destroyed homes, affected millions of people, and caused billions in damages. When Airbnb launched its email, the state of Texas was dealing with the aftermath of the tropical storm. Even though Airbnb had planned its marketing campaign ahead of time and had no wrong intention, the campaign was seen as insensitive by many Airbnb loyal customers around the United States. Airbnb later apologized for the campaign’s bad timing and pledged to donate to those devasted by the storm. Through Airbnb’s marketing campaign, the importance of timing is emphasized. It is vital to understand things that are occurring outside of the business industry. If the timing is not suitable for a specific marketing campaign, it is best to postpone it until it is.
 

In conclusion, well-known businesses have made marketing errors that have damaged their marketing strategy in one way or another. As you embark on your business journey, keep these marketing stories in your mind when putting a message out to consumers. Maintaining mindfulness in marketing is key, and by understanding your audience and following these what-not-to-do examples you will be able to harness the tools you need for a flawless campaign.