By Christinna Højholt
September the 10th, 2021
Beauty: The industry that has been turned upside down
In the recent years, the consumer has grown more empowered than ever. But how has it changed the way they reach out for inspiration and information?
The tendency is, they stop looking directly to the brands themselves. Instead they tend to pay attention to influencers, social media and other beauty platforms and communities, resulting in more democracy and a completely shifted industry.
When the younger consumers go in “discovery mode” they like to use media platforms, such as TikTok, where they seek knowledge about a given product or brand. At the same time, engaging with beauty brands directly is a must – just as we do at My Beauty Guide Dashboard. The communication between the brand and the consumer has to be completely transparent. As an example, through the creation of communities, brands can create a direct line of communication with their consumers. Hence transparency is created.
We asked Tobias Madsen, Head of Paid Social, Nordic Social about the tendency of more empowered consumers.
Why do you think TikTok in particular has become so popular, when it comes to gathering new inspiration for beauty products and brands? How does it differ from other social media platforms?
TikTok’s algorithm is completely unique and extremely good at customizing the individual feed for the users. They create feeds so personal, it gets addictive in a way, so the user keeps scrolling – often much longer than planned. The users seek to be entertained and inspired. Especially in the beauty industry, we notice a lot of user-generated tutorials, which is obvious for brands to take part in. Especially if the brands want their own guides and collaborations to be seen out there.
What are your recommendations for companies, who want to increase their visibility on social media in general?
First of all, it depends on the specific product, but no matter what social media platform you choose your brand to be present on, it is important to have thoughts about the purpose. Also, it is a must adapting your ads, so it doesn’t differ too much from the user-generated content. Sometimes brands forget that users are not on the media to watch a 30 second TV commercial. Just like when previous new social media platforms came to Denmark, TikTok is currently an obvious place for brands to be present. Their competitors are most likely not present yet and it is easier than, for example, Facebook and Instagram to achieve a high organic reach. Not to forget it is a cheaper platform to advertise on.
The consumer holds the power
One of the major reasons behind the ongoing changes, is the younger generation (Gen Z and millennials) and their increasing purchasing power. Combined in a time when almost all information is available online – the consumer knows almost everything about everyone – so brands have to follow their demands. This is not only a benefit for the consumer; of course the beauty brands are being forced to think in new directions, but they get the opportunity to reach out for their consumers on a new level and actually learn from them.
Not to forget, having good values as a brand also counts a lot. Since the beginning of the pandemic, consumers are starting to look at beauty in a different, more holistic way. Now it’s more about selfcare, expression and authenticity, while having fun at the same time. The dictation from the industry is a completed chapter and in a way we havn’t seen before.
We can’t wait to see what the future of marketing brings, but one thing we are sure of: Communication is (also) key in the beauty industry and taking part of a community is the first step. No matter what platform you choose to focus on. For the same reason, we created our dashboard, where brands can communicate directly with the consumer.