Revolution is in the air and social media is helping facilitate rapid
change. From the political eruptions in the Middle East to Charlie
Sheen’s very public meltdown, digital is affecting nearly every aspect
of our lives. It certainly is revolutionising marketing and brand’s
relationship with their consumers.
Digital innovation is creating a host new opportunities for brands to
connect with their consumers. From social commerce to augmented reality
to geo-located services, digital is becoming key to the future plans of
marketers.
Compared to FMCG the beauty industry has been relatively slow to
embrace digital. However I feel the industry has reached a tipping point
and it is definitely in the minds of all the beauty brands we speak to
at Skive.
Digital and cosmetics are perfect partners with digital offering
unlimited scope for for creating, sharing, interacting, leveraging and
engaging their brands with their target consumers. Digital is
revolutionising the way consumers shop for beauty products.
Social media can be there every step of the way when it comes to buying
beauty products. Say the consumer is in the market for a new eyeliner.
She can browse her favourite blogs for recommendations - possibly
earning the blogger a reward if that leads to a purchase, as with the
Eyeko Ambassador programme. Or she can check out the beauty brands pages
on Facebook. In-store, she can photograph the swatches she tries and
upload them to her own blog and get her readers or friends opinions on
which they like best. She can search You tube for tutorials on how to
use the product she’s bought. Or she can try it out virtually with a
virtual mirror or makeover tool, such as taaz.com.
We are only at the start of this marketing revolution. The growth and
power of social networks and the speed of technological innovation will
continue to increase. Those beauty brands that embrace the change the
quickest, will be the ones to benefit.