Writing For Beauty Industry

Rare Beauty just launched a perfume. But instead of telling us what it smells like, they let us sniff it off a billboard ✨ To launch their first-ever fragrance, Rare Beauty’s gone big and sensory with scratch-and-sniff billboards across NYC. But this isn’t just a PR stunt; it’s a layered marketing play that’s part nostalgia, part tech, and all about sampling at scale. Instead of just teasing it with moodboards and dreamy campaign shots, they’ve invited people to actually experience it, in real life, on the street, in the moment. → Scratch the billboard for a hit of caramel, pistachio and vanilla → Verify your location via geo-gated tech (you’ve got to be there to access it) → Scan the QR to claim a rollerball sample via Shopify’s Shop app The campaign emphasizes a strong understanding of how important experience is in beauty marketing, especially for fragrance, where scent is literally impossible to translate online. Here’s why it works: 💡 It blends old-school OOH with modern digital UX 💡 It creates FOMO-fuelled exclusivity via geolocation 💡 And it turns awareness into action in seconds Smart brands aren’t just building brand awareness anymore, they’re building brand utility. If your billboard can do something? Even better 🙌 As brands battle to cut through the noise, the smartest ones are building brand experiences, not just ads. And Rare Beauty understood the assignment. #MarketingStrategy #BeautyMarketing #OOHAdvertising #RareBeauty

Hands, smiles, and real users: Boosting beauty Sales. Mirror neurons are behind most successful beauty launches… the subtle power of hands, smiles, and real users in their visuals are the KEY. In a fragmented attention economy, this human touch builds trust, drives emotional engagement, and boosts sales, making visual storytelling a business necessity. >>SMILES: The universal signal of trust<< Genuine smiles convey approachability, satisfaction, and confidence, linking products to positive experiences, fostering trust, and enhancing brand relatability. Consumer psychology shows that smiling faces activate mirror neurons, creating empathy and emotional connection. For beauty brands, this boosts a product’s emotional appeal, especially for items where the mouth is a focal point, like lipsticks or skincare. +90% of consumers state that authenticity is important when deciding which brands to support. +64% of Gen Z consumers are more inclined to purchase a product after watching a review from a content creator or influencer they follow. >>HANDS: Intimacy, application, and authenticity<< Hands play a crucial role in the visual language of beauty marketing. Whether applying a cream, swatching a foundation, or showing the texture of a serum, the inclusion of hands brings a tactile and intimate dimension to product demonstrations. Hands in beauty visuals do more than demonstrate function, they help consumers imagine real-life use. Featuring diverse skin tones, nail styles, and hand shapes promotes inclusivity, while close-up application shots on platforms like Instagram and TikTok consistently drive high engagement. +29% conversion rates by UGC with hands-on demonstrations. +28% engagement rate has UGC in their social media strategy. >>REAL: Everyday people<< The rise of UGC and influencer marketing has shifted the beauty industry away from polished perfection toward relatability. Featuring real users, especially those who reflect the diversity of the target audience, builds authenticity and drives peer-based credibility. Today’s beauty shoppers want to see products on people who reflect their own skin tone, texture, and concerns. This demand drives the popularity of tutorials, testimonials, and before-and-after content, boosting trust and increasing conversion rates. +73% in purchase intent for UGC-based ads compared to traditional ads. +83% female Gen Z consumers in the U.S. have purchased beauty and personal care items online due to content from social media creators. Conclusion. Human elements, smiles, hands, and relatable faces, stand out by adding authenticity. They don’t just enhance visuals; they build trust, drive engagement, and help consumers believe in the products. Find my curated search of examples and get inspired for your next hero! Featured brands: Bubble Chanel Commodity Juice Glowery Krem Monday Mondo Mondo Rare Beauty Rhode Rocc #beautybusiness #beautyprofessinlas #luxurybusiness #luxuryprofessionals

Polished ads are like Instagram filters—nice to look at, but do they feel real? Let’s be real—nobody’s buying into those glossy, overly perfected ads anymore. The ones with models flashing picture-perfect smiles, staring at a product like it’s the best thing that ever happened to them. We know it’s scripted. We know it’s staged. And most importantly, we know it’s an ad. But then, you come across a brand founder casually talking about their product, showing the messy behind-the-scenes, and sharing personal experiences. And suddenly, you’re hooked. That’s exactly why brands like Nish Hair and Moxie Beauty are thriving. Parul Gulati of Nish Hair doesn’t rely on high-budget productions. She sits in front of a camera, talks about hair loss struggles, and actually demonstrates the products. It feels like a friend giving advice, not a company selling something. Same with Moxie Beauty. Founder Nikita has demonstrated her struggle with managing her hair & also how being unable to recognise her hair type was the single largest reason for her problems with her hair. Which means she isn’t just pushing products, but sharing & educating customers, her challenges & how she manages them with Moxie Beauty No fluff, no fake smiles, just honest a conversation. People recognise & respond positively to authenticity. They don’t want to be sold to, they want to be spoken to. Today, digital marketing isn’t just about spending big on Instagram ads. It’s about understanding how people consume content today. If you’re a brand, stop thinking about how to “advertise” better. Start thinking about how to connect better. Because the brands that are winning? They’re not just selling. They’re listening. I would say Shashank Mehta of The Whole Truth Foods was the pioneer of this approach. Which other brand can you think of where the founders are connecting with customers with such authenticity. #authencity #branding #marketing

Brooke Monk just pulled off one of the wildest creator-brand launches of the year — and the real story isn’t the 1M followers in 24 hours. Yes, the Doting Beauty TikTok account exploded past 1.1M followers on day one, all organically. No paid media. No splashy reveal. Just a secret account, a few low-fi videos, and a creator with 43M fans who mobilize instantly. 💡 But here’s the real unlock This was a storytelling approach, not a typical brand launch. Brooke didn’t drop a logo. She dropped a narrative And her audience followed the story in real time. Follower spikes are the loudest signals They’re not always the smartest ones So let’s look at the signals that actually matter. 1️⃣ The mystery strategy worked because it was built like a story Brooke used tension, curiosity, and a small breadcrumb trail — a classic “chapter one” moment. Fans weren’t just following. They were searching, tagging, commenting, and trying to piece together the plot. That’s not passive hype That’s narrative participation. 2️⃣ Cross-platform spillover confirms this wasn’t a one-platform stunt Doting Beauty’s Instagram hit 58K followers with zero posts. This is the difference between being algorithmically viral and being narratively sticky. 3️⃣ Website behavior = the first sign of real commercial intent For creator brands, this is the earliest measurable proxy for demand. Brooke now has a sizeable waitlist before revealing a single SKU. Story pulled them in Utility will determine who stays. 4️⃣ Sentiment is unusually clean — and that matters for how the story unfolds Most creator beauty launches face early skepticism But here the sentiment is almost entirely positive. They see intention. They see craft. The narrative is working But expectations are now incredibly high 5️⃣ Benchmarks show how rare this scale actually is A million followers in 24 hours is not standard for creator beauty. Even Addison’s Item Beauty or other high-profile launches did not spark this level of immediate cross-platform traction. What Brooke did is closer to a celebrity-tier brand moment — without the celebrity PR machine. That’s the power of a story-driven launch in the creator economy It creates a sense of discovery that algorithms alone can’t manufacture. 6️⃣ The next 30 days are where the story has to turn into a brand This is where creators often lose momentum Storytelling gets replaced by “buy this” And audiences feel the shift. To convert, Brooke will need to continue telling a cohesive story and tie it to a go-to-market strategy One that connects why the brand exists with why the products matter. 💡And here’s the real insight This mirrors traditional licensing and consumer-products storytelling, but with one key difference In licensing, narrative is engineered to fit an IP In creator brands, the narrative has to feel authentic, personal, and emotionally consistent — or the audience disconnects instantly. Well done Brooke and Devain!

How Influencers are Redefining Brand Launches 👉 @wtfisalixdoing Alix Earle just launched her new brand, Reale Actives, and she used mystery to create hype around the reveal with the help of CNC Agency (Coffee 'n Clothes)! Starting with a mystery Instagram account (@wtfisalixdoing) to drum up excitement through teasers, clues and cryptic content, the page gathered momentum having over 400k followers before anything was announced! Alix then sent her influencer friends a kit in the form of a locked suitcase and a single puzzle piece. No explanation. 🤩 🧩🧳..... Fast forward to the next part of the mystery....all of the pieces pieces fit together to form the full picture of Reale Actives - being assembled live on a billboard in NYC. Fans were screenshotting influencer stories, cropping, zooming, comparing notes in comment sections trying to crack it before the reveal. 🔍 It brought together social, influencers and OOH all in one, building towards one reveal moment. So why did it go viral and why should people do this 🧠 Mystery first, product later Before anyone even knew it was skincare, she built intrigue with a cryptic account. There was no explanation, just curiosity. This taps into a core principle: people engage more when they’re trying to figure something out. By the time she revealed the brand, she already had hundreds of thousands invested. 💗 Reframing acne as cool Instead of clinical, medical messaging, Alix has pushed the narrative that "Acne can be confident, sexy and normal." 📲 Audience-first Most brands go: product → marketing → audience Alix flipped it by building attention first and then introducing the product. Because she already had a loyal following, she didn’t need to convince, she just needed to invite them in. More brands should take note! 💌 Agency: CNC Agency (Coffee 'n Clothes)

✨ Beauty Brands: Here’s Why Your Holiday Strategy Must Be Value-Led, with Stats (and Examples) to Back It Up Holiday 2025 will be tougher than usual. Consumers are holding the purse strings tighter but what about beauty? 💄 Beauty remains resilient Despite financial pressures, real-term spending on beauty & personal care is still growing, the famous “lipstick effect.” Many consumers now regard beauty as a “non-negotiable”, even reprioritising spend away from other categories. The UK beauty industry has risen dramatically, now worth £30.4bn, growing 4× faster than the economy, and even outpacing spend on leisure. ⏰ Consumers Are Starting Holiday Shopping Earlier. Especially for Beauty Last year stats: - 34.8% of UK consumers began Christmas shopping earlier in 2024 than the year before. - 48% had bought most of their presents by early December, up from 43% the previous year. - Women & Gen Z lead the charge: 77% of women start in November or earlier; 29% of 18–24-year-olds start even earlier. 🏷️ Real Brand Examples of Value-Led Holiday Campaigns ALLIES OF SKIN stretched Black Friday into a month-long campaign, reducing urgency but building trust, delivering 80%+ YoY growth. P Louise launched gifting early, with payment plans for its £110 & £250 advent calendars, making them more accessible to younger, budget-conscious buyers. Liberty. staged holiday beauty into three phases: July pre-sales for loyalists, editorial storytelling to build hype, & a September full launch. GLOSSYBOX offered an £85 advent calendar (worth £585) - a 6× value multiplier that drove subscriber loyalty. Boots UK released £20 “little luxury baubles” stuffed with minis valued up to £68, perfect value stocking fillers. 📧 What This Means for Beauty Marketers Beauty remains a priority spend. Campaigns should lean into value while preserving perceived quality. Holiday shopping starts earlier. Launch gift sets, bundles, and content well before Black Friday. Value sensitivity is high. Highlight payment plans, smaller curated sets, and discount messaging strategically. 🚀 Why esbconnect & Optivo Are the Q4 Power Channel Retarget those anonymous high-intent browsers and trigger urgency in real time via email : “Only 250 advent calendars left, secure yours now.” Target new customers & encourage them to subscribe ahead of Q4 with early access to sales or added perks Promote value clearly to new customers and avoid discounts with payment plan messaging and curated bundles delivered to inboxes. Get into the inbox of new customers & build anticipation early: Use teasers and countdown flows ahead of social or retail launch. 💬 Final Thought Holiday beauty campaigns aren’t just about what’s on the shelf, they’re about how value is communicated. The brands winning in 2025 are doing it through early, personalised, & value-led storytelling. 📧 With Optivo, beauty brands can turn browsers into subscribers & subscribers into buyers at exactly the right moment.

Now THAT is how you build desire. And no, it’s not just food pics. Building desire isn’t “pretty pics.” It’s engineering attention. And Gisou by Negin Mirsalehi just showed everyone how it’s done With pastries. It's 2025. Brands spend 30% more on marketing stuff. And It works 30% less than a decade ago. Translation: loud feeds + numb audience = weak impact. Except in top beauty. They don’t sell products. They sell status and identity. Want to see marketing in 2035? Watch beauty today. Case: Gisou x CEDRIC GROLET (pastry as a new form of fine art). This flooded my feed since launch. So I wanted to share a breakdown of why it works so well. Other brands already use food to promote their products. (Think Rhode, Glossier and Florence James Collective) But Gisou just took the cake. Three lip oils → three desserts. Film the craft. Flood the feed. Result: virality on tap. Why it worked (no fluff, just brain-wiring): Behavioural triggers. Hardwired connections in our brain that make us feel stuff INSTANTLY. Here are the ones used in this launch: 01 | Food cues → survival = instant trust 02 | Allure (no nudity) → mate-value, affiliation 03 | Honey = nature = safety → “from the earth” shortcut 04 | Scent memory → emotion recall on sight 05 | Soft-touch/haptics → people buy what they want to feel (touch increases purchase likelihood fast). Here’s the unfair advantage: It’s not random foodie content. Negin comes from six generations of beekeepers. Honey is the origin story. Pastries made with that honey fit the myth. Trust unlocked. Steal this (plug-and-play in your next campaign) Make your next launch desirable in 5 moves: 01. Origin tie-in → pick a visual that belongs to your brand myth (not a trend). 02. Pattern break → show the unexpected (dessert x beauty; nature x tech). 03. Multi-sensory bait → textures, slow squeezes, steam/zest in motion. 04. Creator partner → borrow status from a craft icon (chef, luthier, perfumer). 05. Touch moment → design something people want to handle (haptics sell). TL;DR: If your product is “good like everyone else’s,” Desire wins. Desire = origin story + pattern break + multisensory cues + touch. Agree? Disagree?

I doubled a skincare brand’s sales in just 1 month. Also increased their conversion rate by 50%. Here’s my 5-step strategy behind this: 1. Warm Up Your Audience They already know the brand, but they need a push. Use testimonials, reviews, or comparison videos to build trust: “Here’s what 10K+ customers are saying…” “Why thousands trust us for [problem/product].” 2. Highlight Key Benefits Focus on what sets your product apart. Examples: “The only serum you need for glowing skin.” “Lightweight, durable, and under $50 — a must-have for travelers.” This reminds them why your product solves their problem better than others. 3. Use Relatable Content Show how your product fits into their life: - Easy-to-follow tutorials. - Before-and-after visuals. - Real customer transformation stories. Social proof + practicality = 🔥 4. Experiment with Formats MOFU ads need more detailed, relatable content. Try: - Customer Testimonials (Video/Image) - Problem-Solution Ads - Demo Videos Test what resonates best. 5. Strong CTAs with Incentives At this stage, small perks can encourage action: “Shop Now and Get 10% Off.” “Upgrade your skincare routine today.” “Limited stock—order now!” By applying this strategy, you can: ✓ Build trust and authority. ✓ Address objections directly. ✓ Make it easy for customers to choose you. ✓ Increase sales and conversions. This strategy builds trust, addresses objections, and makes it easier for potential customers to choose YOU. Try it and see the difference in your sales, conversion rate & growth! 📈 And if you’re feeling lost — I’m here to help, just like I wish someone had been for me. I'm just a DM away → Emaan Irfan 💛 P.S. What works best for your audience?

The Perfect Ad Creative Framework 8-Figure Brands Are Using in 2025... Our proprietary methodology - tested across dozens of D2C brands with millions in spend→ The 6Layer Creative Methodology: 1. Start With Audience (The Who) Beyond demographics, understand: • Market awareness level (Unaware → Problem Aware → Solution Aware → Product Aware → Most Aware) • Market sophistication (solutions they've tried before) • Psychographics, behaviors and funnel stage Best sources: Customer reviews, forums, direct conversations with customers. → Example: A skincare brand targets differently based on how many acne solutions the customer has tried before - awareness and sophistication determine messaging. 2. Define Your Core Offer (The What) Position your product based on their awareness: • Match their sophistication level • Focus on transformation, not features • Bridge the gap between current and desired state → For unaware customers: Educational bundles that introduce your solution → For sophisticated customers: Advanced products with unique differentiation 3. Determine Your Emotional Angle (The Why) There are 10 core buying emotions that drive most purchases - identify which 2-3 matter most for your specific audience, here are a few: • Feeling Security   • Feeling Belonging • Self-Actualizing Pair the desired emotion with your offer to naturally create an angle that shows your audience why it matters to them. The emotional angle connects your offer to deeper motivations - it's why someone truly buys. → Example: Premium cookware sells pride of mastery and joy of providing, not just pots. 4. Develop Your Creative Concept (How the Angle is Communicated) This is where you wrap your emotional angle in a compelling package that: → Creates pattern interrupt without confusing the audience → Delivers your emotional angle with clarity → Makes your offer feel inevitable Your concept must captivate while maintaining clarity. → Example: Dollar Shave Club's "Our Blades Are F***ing Great" concept. This triggers the male target's desired emotion of achievement and pride, granting them the opportunity to realize it through a purchase of the razor. 5. Tap Into Cultural Moments (The When) Connect your message to what's happening in your audience's world: • Seasonality relevant to your product • Social narratives your audience cares about • Cultural conversations they're already having This amplifies relevance by making your message feel timely and important. It's also a great way to reuse old offers and angles—just pair it with a new moment. 6. Production Quality & Style (The Wrapping Paper) Finally, decide on execution quality that reinforces your positioning: • Format: Video, photo, carousel, animation? • Quality level: High-production, UGC, in-house? • Aesthetic: Minimal, bold, authentic, premium? Each layer builds on and strengthens the previous one. When campaigns underperform, analyze which layer disconnected rather than starting over.

Let me spill the tea on one of my biggest marketing wake-up calls. A few years ago, I worked on a campaign for a DTC skincare brand. We went all-in on the “rational” playbook—dermatologist-approved ingredients, clinical results, blah blah blah. Guess what? The moment the ads stopped, so did the sales. Ouch. Round two? Completely different story. We scrapped the boring stats and built a campaign around a real customer—a mom who’d been too self-conscious to take family photos for years. Her transformation wasn’t just skin-deep; it was life-changing. When we shared her story, the internet blew up. The takeaway? Emotional campaigns are more likely to generate buzz and shareability, driving more impressions and ultimately, sales. Tracksuit found that ads that elicit highly positive emotions are 27% more likely to go viral and generate word of mouth. What’s more, emotional ads are 40% more likely to reduce price sensitivity than all other ads. People will pay more for your brand if you make them truly FEEL something. At the crux of it all: Emotional ads stick in your mind and help you form positive brand associations. At any given time 95% of your target consumers aren’t ready to buy, but by creating an emotional connection with them, they are far more likely to remember you when they are. If you’re still leaning on rational, product-focused campaigns, I get it—I’ve been there! But it’s time to pivot. Tracksuit’s new report, The Emotion Effect, breaks down the “Seven Deadly Sins” of emotionless campaigns and shows you how to create ads that stick through plenty of real life examples. ✨ Ready to make every dollar work harder? Download the report 👉 https://hubs.li/Q02Zg_Bw0 Because when you tap into emotion, you’re not just selling—you’re connecting. ❤️