Redefining

Beauty PR
The new PR strategies
that are shaping the beauty
industry

D E L A N E Y M C N U LT Y
 Social Media
Not too long ago, beauty brands relied on
cold-calling, direct selling and traditional
advertising as their marketing strategies.
Now with the world of digital and social
media platforms, brands in the beauty
industry had to engineer new strategies,
content, and distribution channels in order
to keep up with digital consumers and their
increasing demand. Over the past decade,
social media has become an extremely
popular form of communication that beau-
ty brands have been able to successfully
build their presence on and grow their
network with the online community. Social
media has cultivated a sense of intimacy
between its users. “Advertising Expendi-
ture Forecasts For Marketers” report shows
that between 2017 and 2020, social me-
dia spend is expected to increase from
$48 billion to $76 billion. Around 70% of
Americans use social media platforms such
as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube
and Snapchat to entertain themselves and
connect with customers. Most brands have
been able to establish themselves and
have a social media presence, but what
few understand is how it translates to real
business and the struggle to prove the re-
turn on investment.
Expert View
Aliza Licht, author of “Leave Your Mark”,
former SVP of Communications for DKNY
and the voice of the famous DKNY PR Girl
Twitter account says that in order to be
successful in using social media, brands
need to “become a follower’s best girl-
friend.” In an interview with Monster.com,
she talks about different strategies and
that “you have to go where [the people]
are and insert your brand into conversa-
tions in a natural and non-intrusive way.
People love authenticity, and that’s what
I gave them through a fly on the wall view
into the world of public relations.” It is
important to fully commit yourself to the
online community if you want to create a
strong following by engaging with people
regularly. What’s right for one company
is not necessarily right for another. Before
a company or a brand embarks on social
media they really need to think about
what kind of image they want to portray
because social media has to be a curat-
ed version of your best self. She always
advises brands to create a filter first so
that they themselves understand what
their core brand values are and the types
of things that they would or would not be
talking about.
(Social Media Advice from the DKNY PR Girl)
 Case Study
Objective -
Web Talent Marketing had a makeup
brand as a client that required a strat-
egy that would help them stand out
in a crowded industry. Relying almost
exclusively on online sales, an aggres-

Results
sive campaign was needed to grow
their online presence. They also need-
ed to use creative mediums to remain
relevant and unique in an industry that Branded searches increased 22%
was growing rapidly. To increase brand
awareness, promote new products, and Referral traffic increased 53%, while or-
create a loyal community, they devel- ganic traffic increased 35%
oped an influencer marketing strategy
through social media platforms. Organic revenue increased 65%
Strategy -
They identified influencers who could Client’s top 10 influencers combined for
tell the brand’s story but using their $59,076 in product revenue
own voice and perspective. Each in-
Blogger/YouTube influencer accounted
fluencer already had an engaged and
for almost $50,000 in revenue and over
loyal following so finding the right influ-
1,600 transactions
encer who could be extensions to the
brand was vital. Brand worked with influencer to co-cre-
They found the platforms that the ate two products – since launching, both
target audience would go for product her products contributed nearly $7 million
reviews and makeup tutorials which is in revenue.
done on YouTube. Many beauty influ-
encers also use Instagram, Snapchat
and blogs to reach consumers through
different types of media.
They sent influencers free product
samples for review and also were able
to develop long-term relationship with
select influencers, and the client collab-
orated with influencers to create prod-
ucts sold through their ecommerce site.

(Influencer Marketing Case Study: eCommerce Beauty)

Influencers
Companies, especially those in the beauty industry, have taken a new approach of
hiring social media influencers to shape consumer attitudes towards their brand. These
influencers have contributed to the evolution of the industry. Influencers are individuals
who have the power to affect purchase decisions of others based on their perceived or
real knowledge, authority, position, and/or relationship. They now dominate content
creation through social media channels and are the new opinion leaders. About 92% of
consumers trust word of mouth more than other forms of advertising and according to
the 2018 State of Influencer Marketing Report by Launchmetrics, nearly 80% of brands
carry out marketing initiatives with influencers. The beauty industry has always thrived
off of reviews and recommendations which is why influencer’s word-of-mouth has re-
sulted in actual sales and became a top marketing strategy. Each influencer whether
it be vloggers, makeup artists, or celebrities, each one offers a different point of view
where brands can connect with the audience and identify trends or consumers’ needs.
Partnering with an influencer is the top marketing strategy for most beauty brands, but
finding the right influencer is more difficult than most people think. Brands want to find
someone who has a loyal and large following while also portraying the right image and
message that matches up with their mission statement. Choosing the right influencer
can make a huge impact and many top influencers can sell out an entire product line in
one day from a single Instagram post, YouTube video, or blog post.

The Impact of Instragram Influencer

2018, Average engagements for brand account vs.
engagements on a recent influencer post for the brand

Smashbox 437,424
19,421
Kate Spade 418,993
24,058
Redken 78,588
2,663
Source: NewsWhip, 2018
Influencer Post Brand Average
 Top Tips
1. Determine your target audience:
Be specific and decide which market the
brand wants to target. Find the audience
the product is most relevant to location,
age, gender, lifestyle and hobbies. This will
help narrow down the search and select the
right people for the influencer campaign.
2. Assess your values:
Sharing the same values and interests as
the person promoting the brand is extreme-
ly important. The product will be associ-
ated with the influencer’s characteristics,
so make sure there is no conflict between
the image they portray and how the brand
wants to be seen by consumers.
3. Choose macro or micro-influencers:
Macro-influencers reach a wider audience,
but micro-influencers help reach a more
targeted and engaged audience. Micro-in-
fluencers usually have a following of people
with interests similar to theirs and the brand
will be able to ensure that the product is
seen by a more relevant and engaged fol-
lowing.
4. Look for quality content:
Influencers have gotten to their realm of
influence for a reason: they have an eye on
how to present an object in an eye-catch-
ing matter. Visual story-telling is very im-
portant, and influencers have mastered it,
so take advantage!
5. Check the engagement rate:
Collaborating with genuine influencers who
have real followers is extremely important.
The influencer trend has caught on to peo-
ple who want to do it quick and easy by
buying followers. This will not help a brand
and will end up being a waste of money.
Make sure to check the engagement and
see the loyal followers.

(Find Influencers – 5 Tips on How to Find Influencers)

Types of Influencers

The Vlogger
In 2018, beauty-related content generated more than 169
billion views compared to 55 billion in 2016, according to
Statista. In the beauty industry, there is an undeniable power
of a vlogger and as years go by, the numbers increase and are
projected to keep increasing. Social media apps such as Ins-
tagram has seen the influence and power behind vloggers and
just added Instagram TV which will continue the growth and
have vloggers become more prevalent on different channels.

The Celebrity
Many celebrities have successfully ventured into the beauty
industry by launching their own cosmetics line such as Kylie
Jenner, Rihanna, Kat Von D, and Kim Kardashian. It is difficult
for celebrities to fail in the beauty industry because of their
already loyal following and most are known to have a lot of
knowledge and background with beauty because of their pro-
fessions. These celebrities took advantage of the fast-growing
industry and have made their mark as influencers.

The Makeup Artist

Makeup artists are nothing new, but their power and fame has
increased immensely with social media. Many makeup artists
work with celebrities and other influencers which allow them
to boost their following. For example, Ariel Tejada and Mario
Dedivanovic are both makeup artists for the Kardashians and
they have received very public mentions and praise by celeb-
rities which results in millions of followers. Makeup artists are
also the most trusted influencers when it comes to recommen-
dations because of their vast knowledge and that is what they
do every day for a living.
 Influencer Collabs
When buying beauty products, consumers want to be sure of their purchase, and they be-

come sure by hearing the opinions from trusted influencer that encourage their decisions

through different tactics and collaborations. Influencers produce diversified content, that

makes a brand’s social presence less aggressive for the viewer. As a beauty brand, using

the following collaborations to their advantage can help raise brand awareness, boost

sales and build brand loyalty.

Influencers’ Instagram Likes & Comments for Sponsored Posts

Total like and comments to posts containing sponsorship hashtags
Jan. 1 - Mar. 15, 2018
Source: BuzzMyVideosOnline, OnePoll

Annual beauty-related content views on YouTube

from 2009 to 2018
(in billions)

200
169

150

104
100

59
50 37
25
16
7 11
3 5
0.13 0.87 2
0
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Source: Pixability, Statista 2019

“My Favorites”

Product reviews can take many shapes and forms,

so YouTubers and vloggers use a “My Favorites”
video to promote specific brands and products.
These products could be from brands they are
hired from and are doing marketing for, or they
are genuinely some of their favorite products that
they want to share with their followers. There are
usually many different products and brands in the
video which prove the authenticity and make the
consumers presume that the products being shown
should be trusted as the top makeup brands they
could get and what they are spending their mon-
ey on is worth it. Consumers trust influencers and
beauty gurus as they usually have extreme skill in
doing specific beauty regimines. The top influenc-
ers show off makeup and skincare that is highly
sought after and in these videos, the influencers
are going through each product and describing
them in detail as well as what makes them differ-
ent from others. They are usually updated yearly
or sometimes even monthly to market new prod-
ucts that are coming out.
 Tutorials
Most beauty content on social media are extreme-
ly product-centric, but a way to keep this from
being excessive and inauthentic, brands and influ-
encers add value for their audience by educating
their consumers. Makeup tutorials and how-to’s
provide an engaging medium while showing the
product in action. Makeup tutorial videos are by far
the most popular types of YouTube beauty content
and it accounts for 34% of total views throughout
the entire website. Influencers show the viewers
a step-by-step process on whatever beauty look
they want to create. It starts with their bare face
and ends with the final result by showing off make-
up application tactics and naming each product
that they use in-depth. It usually shows how the
product can be used and what it looks like on
certain people or the highlighted effects and ben-
efits. This is the best way for consumers to build
trust with a product as they can see exactly what
it would look like. Tutorials on Instagram pages are
usually shorter in length and not as detailed, so it
focuses more on the entertainment value and the
product that is being used. These tutorials have
endless creative possibilities and brands are com-
ing up with new ideas more and more as they have
such a huge effect on their products. Mini beauty
lessons on Instagram stories are also all the rage as
customers and viewers become more engaged on
the lesson than the product being promoted which
builds a trust that each product will provide the
same results as they do on the videos.
 Unboxing
Another way vlogger’s have created is the “Un-
boxing video.” This consists of opening boxes of
new products that brands have sent them for free
that have not been released yet. This format is
used to boost awareness of a new product before
its launch and to display the PR packages that
brands send. It creates an excitement with fans
and influencers so that when the product drops,
customers are already ready to buy and there are
immediate sales. The packages that are sent to
influencers are extravagant and over the top in
order to impress the influencer and viewers. PR
professionals package these products and send it
in the hopes that it will be organically shared, and
their product will be shown to millions of viewers in
an authentic way. There are rules and regulations
put in place that an influencer must paid-for con-
tent must be clearly marked as “sponsored” or an
“ad.” Unboxing and PR packages are ways to work
around this obvious advertising since brands are
not paying for any content. PR packages are sent
without expecting anything in return and instead
hope for a shoutout on an Instagram story, Snap-
chat, or Unboxing video. In order to be impressive
and stand out from all the other PR packages,
brands send handwritten letters, personal messag-
es, over the top packaging and extravagent pres-
ents/gifts.
 Giveaways
Influencers make videos and Instagram posts
where they give free products to a certain number
of followers through a contest to encourage new
followers and reward their current ones. These are
great ways for the influencers to grow their follow-
ing and to also advocate for brands at the same
time. Many times, the products that are given
away are free products the influencers received
in PR packages that were unboxed. An example
@jaclynhill
of this is a beauty influencer giving away hun- Caption: TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF MY 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
GIVEAWAY!
dreds and sometimes thousands of dollars’ worth I will be giving away a huge prize EVERY DAY for the next 12 days
here on IG!
of beauty products away to usually 1 follower. In HOW TO ENTER:
Repost this photo with #jaclynhillchristmas
(And I love it when you guys make your captions about how much
order to be a part of this giveaway, there are usu- you love makeup & what this would mean to you!)
& you must be a follower/supporter of mine please!
ally rules given by the influencer. Beauty influenc- THATS IT!
A new winner will be picked every 24 hours & your prizes will be
er, Jaclyn Hill, uses this collaboration during the shipped out the next day!
You can only enter once a day.
holiday season where she does this every day for
12 days. There are extremely high end and luxu-
rious products that most followers would love to
get for free. In order to enter, the consumer has to
comment on the photo, tag two friends, must be
a follower of her Instagram page and subscribe to
her YouTube page. Each post got over 200,000
comments which instantly introduced themselves
to an entirely new audience and boosts engage-
ment. These contests also give followers a reason
to stay engaged and create or maintain a long-
term loyalty.
@jaclynhill
Caption: TODAY IS DAY 3 OF MY 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS GIVE-
AWAY!
I will be giving away a huge prize EVERY DAY for the next 12 days
here on IG!
HOW TO ENTER:
Repost this photo with #jaclynhillchristmas
(And I love it when you guys make your captions about how much
you love makeup & what this would mean to you!)
& you must be a follower/supporter of mine please!
THATS IT!
A new winner will be picked every 24 hours & your prizes will be
 Events
Influencer events have become an increasingly
popular way for brands to engage with both macro
and micro influencers. In Launch Metrics 2018 in-
fluencer Marketing Report, influencer collaboration
for events was the second-most popular scenario
for engaging with influencers. Also, 89.8% of pro-
fessionals responded that sending out event invites
was a marketing tactic they used which makes
the significant of events as a way to connect with
@patricktabeauty
influencers. Brands have understood that Gener- Caption: Omg So Much Love! Thank You
@desiperkins @katy @makeupshayla @iluvsarahii
ation Y is all about experiences are they translate @daphnejoy For Coming And Supporting My @pat-
this knowledge into their influencer campaigns. ricktabeauty Launch #MAJORGLOW #PatrickTa

There has been an evolution of events from prod-

uct launch parties and store openings, to flying
private planes full of influencers to exotic destina-
tions and filming it. These types of collaborations
take more resources and money, but by having so
many influencers participate at once and creating
an unforgettable experience, the brand is boosting
awareness at much higher levels. Each influencer
that is invited to an event or trip is documenting
each portion on their social media platforms and
usually has someone recording for a vlog video
which is more in depth, filming on their Instagram
story which is instantly seen, and posting pictures
with the brands name being showcased in an ex-
travagant way.

Caption: Jade of the Jungle

Having the best time in miami with
@beautyblender #dewitfortheglow
 Morphe
A company that is a prime exampe of launch-
ing itself through the influencer platform and
using new PR strategies is Morphe Cosmetics.
Morphe is a digitally-native cosmetic brand and
is a well-respected brand among influencers
and artists. Morphe offers their customers ‘killer
makeup without killing their wallet’ and has a
thriving community full of #MorpheBabes.
Morphe has had massive success with its social
media marketing with their key success being
their audience engagement. Using hashtags like
#MorpheBabe, influencers, who are also digital
creators, are posting pictures of their looks us-
ing Morphe products, many hoping to get re-
posted by the brand and garner more followers
from Morphe’s large fan base. This interaction is
beneficial to both the influencer and the brand.
Influencers drive the brand’s conversation,
spreading the word about Morphe’s product by
posting their looks, reviews and more. A re-post
from brands like Morphe can be very valuable
to an influencer because it is a chance for po-
tential followers to hear about them. It can also
help in getting brands to pay attention to the
influencer, leading anywhere from free makeup
products to a collaboration on creating a make-
up product with the brand. “Morphe garnered
the most social interactions (tags, comments “Morphe garnered the
and likes) overall, boasting over 1 billion” — Jes-
sica Schiffer, Digiday. By collaborating, liking,
most social interactions
commenting and reposting, Morphe is already (tags, comments and likes)
actively engaging with their audience while overall, boasting over
other brands such as Maybelline are still trying
1 billion.” 
to catch up.
— Jessica Schiffer, Digiday
 Morphe
Collaborations with brands and influencers have
proven massive success, with most of Morphe’s ma-
jor success coming from their collaborations with big
names in the social media beauty community, like
Jaclyn Hill, James Charles and Jeffree Star.
Morphe has seen the changing trends and know that
beauty influencers/gurus are a big part of audience
engagement. Many consumers reported that they
feel like beauty influencers understand them better
than the brand and this trust was as high as 70% for
YouTubers in 2016 according to Google. Having pop-
ular influencers to collaborate with turns into Mor-
phe’s James Charles Palette selling out internation-
ally in ten minutes and continuing to sell out for its
fourth restock. Jaclyn Hill’s eyeshadow palette was
released in 2018 and they have sold over 1 million
palettes as well as Jeffree Star’s brush collaboration
set which has sold out within minutes and has need-
ed multiple restocks. Morphe is different from com-
petition because of the amount of resources they put
into social media marketing and their influencers.
Founded on the principle of “a beauty brand cre-
ated for the creators,” Morphe relies on their influ-
encers and their bond with their viewers to sell their
products, as they have demonstrated by flying their
influencers to grand openings of their store locations.
This technique has worked out well for Morphe. For
a Morphe store opening, there has been over 10,000
fans (many of whom camped outside overnight) for
a glimpse of their favourite YouTuber. With a strong
following and engagement with their audience,
there is no doubt that talk of the brand will continue
to spread. Morphe has grown rom a brother and sis-
ter operation in Los Angeles to one of the most talk-
ed about brands in the digital beauty space.
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