The Hottest Trends from this Year's in-cosmetics Global Show
This week, Imogen is in Amsterdam at the in-cosmetics Global show to find out about the hottest trends and innovations from the Marketing Trends presentation programme.
Over the next two blogs, she is going to share what's happening now in beauty and, more importantly, what's coming next.
Are Beauty Brands Doing Enough to Engage Men?
The global market for men's products may be worth $40bn with growth of 2.8% for premium products, but is it really fulfilling its potential?Louise Barfield, head of marketing, Two by Two, argued that the challenge for marketers is how to engage men.
Forget traditional stereotypical blue and silver packaging and outdated product descriptors. Today's men want products that reflect who they are are and the lives they lead. Not something dreamed up by the marketing department.
Rapha cycle brand has got it right. Its Chamois Cream is designed for men who shave their legs before a ride.
What about So-Called Men's Cosmetics?
Plenty of men use colour products on their face to make themselves look better, less tired and more healthy.
Many more are turned off by the catch-all term "male beauty".
Louise may be onto something when she came up with the more accessible, more user friendly word "mBeauty"
.It might just catch on.
The Power of Social Media
Developments in the way we consume social media have exploded since the age of broadcast (1.0) evolved to conversation (2.0) and now catalysts (3.0), according to Sean Singleton, managing director, Your Favourite Story.
Catalysts, small nimble brands, have the ability to get huge really quickly and are stealing a march on the multinationals.
They understand that influencers, not brands, control the online conversation, especially amongst Gen Z consumers who reportedly spend up to 11 hours a day on social media.
Sean's 5 tips for getting ahead on social media are:
Be Instagram-worthy - through your image and packaging. Savvy brands design packaging with Instagram in mind.
Unique tone of voice - be close to the consumer and make dialogue real. Look at Benefit, who have created a new relationship between brand and consumer that's engaging and authentic.
Use real people to endorse - social influencers are far more powerful than celebrities. Identify the super influencers and micro influencers (less than 10,000 followers) who can accelerate your business.
User Generated Content (UGC) - engage with your community and let them be part of the brand. Communities love to be acknowledged. Glossier are great at this.
Give the consumer a voice - Crowdsource beauty is getting to be big and a great way of involving consumers in the design of new products.
So What's Next?
Instagram is redefining the consumer journey including purchase (it launched e-commerce last year).
"Phytigal" - properly interactive experiences in physical spaces that help to engage consumers in an emotional way.
Hyper personalisation using technology and AR in beauty. L'Oreal's partnering with Modiface could be a game-changer in this field.
The Future of Natural/Organic Beauty
Amarjit Sahota, ceo Ecovia Intelligence, does not believe that the certification of products is the way forward.10 years ago there were 5 major standards in beauty. Now there are 30.“Standards are not the solution to greenwashing, but add to it,’ he said.
Clean Beauty is a theme that crops up time and again at this year’s in-cosmetics Global Marketing Trends presentations. Consumers are wising up to what goes into their beauty products, but are also concerned about what happens to the packaging once they’re finished with them.However, consumer usage habits are also adding to the problem.
58% of carbon footprint is down to consumer usage and therefore a big part of the problem.Amarjit suggested educating consumers on the time spent in the shower and temperature so that in the future there will be more responsible consumption.
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