Beauty is in the eye of the consumer. Today’s marketers and publicists are capitalizing on both online and offline channels to expand beauty brands’ product awareness, engagement and loyalty. Some brands are joining the industry’s buzzing conversations, while others are letting consumers participate in a discussion of their own. The biggest trends in beauty marketing and PR reveal how brands are engaging consumers both on-screen and IRL.
Trend: Podcasts
Podcasts are a complimentary platform that take an integrative approach to communicating with a community’s members while extending the brand’s mission. 
Saje Natural Wellness
The key is authenticity and value. Saje Natural Wellness’s podcast, Well Now, doesn’t push products, but instead runs parallel to the brand’s ethos. Content includes interviews with thought leaders in the health and wellness space as well as life coaches and beauty experts.
“This innovative approach to brand marketing is a prime example of how non-branded business extensions have the potential to provide an authentic platform for companies to connect with their target demographic while preserving the integrity of retail in their respective market sectors,” explains Lauren DePaso of Nike Communications.
Trend: Social Crowdsourcing
Instagram stories--which currently attract 300 million daily users--provide brands with the perfect platform for social crowdsourcing.
Uberliss recently used Instagram Stories to ask followers what they should name the products in the brand’s upcoming styling line. The brand’s in-house marketing team shared their experience, explaining that “by engaging with followers via IG stories, we can get a better sense of who they are as a customer and what kind of content they enjoy seeing while allowing them to contribute creatively to the brand.”
Some brands are taking crowdsourcing a step further, making products based on customer suggestions. The fast-paced nature of social allows brands to ask their communities for input when creating product pipelines and get answers instantly.
“My client, Sara Happ, The Lip Expert, recently did a poll on IG Stories to decide which Lip Scrub flavors from years past we should bring back in 2019 for a limited edition run," explained beauty PR consultant Elyse Koenig. Within a matter of hours, we knew what our customers really wanted and will be able to satisfy their wishes with our Q1 SKUs next year.”
Trend: Pop-Ups & Personalized Events
Social and digital media are clearly major drivers in the beauty space, but shifting from online to in-person is just as critical for engaging a brand’s community. With social media sensory overload, taking things offline can enhance a brand’s identity and offer a more personalized experience.
Brands are thinking outside the social realm to give editors, influencers and consumers opportunities to interact with products in a fun and meaningful ways. Think: in-store events, demos, beauty bars and influencer events. Beauty publicist Lindsey Smolan shares that, “even if a brand doesn’t have their own store, participating in pop-up shops can be a low budget way to boost both sales and brand awareness and still provide the opportunity to let consumers and press have fun ways of trying out the products.”
On that note, finding the right retail partner opens up a wider but still targeted audience base to introduce product releases and offer experiential treatments. 
Beyond Beauty LA
“We’ve had great success with Olìe retail partners like Beauty Beyond LA and Switch2Pure who are able to provide a more micro-focused individualized beauty approach incorporating Olìe skincare oil products,” shared Olìe Biologique's Linda Thompson and Ina Subramanian.
“These personalized pop-ups offer the customer an expert level component that is remiss in online sales, and an ability to personally meet the brand founder and creator. For us as the brand it offers the potential for immediate new adoption and conversion. We view [events and] master classes as key product placement opportunities with exceptional ROI.”
