Cosmetic Brand L’Oréal vs Celebrity Influencer Brand Fenty by Rhianna.

Inbound marketing is a powerful sales and marketing tool used by creating valuable content that provides solutions to consumers needs. You grow your brand online by empowering consumers to come to you through relevant, useful or meaningful content. This makes your customer feel served instead of sold because this application to marketing feels more natural and authentic from the consumer. 

For more information on inbound marketing, (To attract, convert, close and delight consumers to your brands product and or services) including Content, SEO tools, landing pages, CTA’s and e-books, click here ==> https://www.hubspot.com/inbound-marketing

Also taking a closer look at how to manage your customers as they approach your brand. This is done using Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) and Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs) explained in more detail here ==> SQL vs. MQL: What They Are and How They Differ

Each organisation's approach to inbound marketing

The two brands I have chosen are leading Cosmetic Brand L’Oréal vs Celebrity Influencer Brand Fenty by Rhianna.

Fenty targeted the right market at the right time. CEO Rhianna had a widely successful launch when the cosmetics brand was released. Within its first month Fenty took $72million in sales and received 132million views on YouTube. More fun facts about the brand are here ==> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenty_Beauty

On the Other hand L’Oreal is the worlds largest cosmetics brand. Products include hair care, skin care, sun protection, makeup,  perfume & hair colour. The company owns 36 brands and subsidiaries including Garnier, Lancôme, YSL Beaute, Body Shop & Maybelliene as well as a renowned list of celebrity ambassadors including Eva Longoria, Viola David and Kate Winslet, More fun facts about the brand are here ==> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Or%C3%A9al

• Buyer Personas

Firstly, which brand understands its customer best? Rhianna knew to target diversity and inclusivity and drive that market to lead in innovation, but when it comes to inbound marketing does she effectively segment her customers and cater for individual needs?

L’Oréal owns huge market share and acquired many sub-brands along the way, however did they listen to consumer demand? why did it take L’Oreal so long to  understand that there is more opportunity to expand into various market segments such as diversity? 

L’Oréal is one of the brands who reacted to the launch of Fenty by extending its product range to cater for women of colour. They could have targeted the diverse market much sooner. 

Click here for an example of L’Oréal’s Buyer Persona ==> https://loveloreal.wordpress.com/2015/02/26/my-2-personas-for-loreal/

Click here for an example of Fenty Beauty’s Buyer Persona ==> https://issuu.com/miamorales95/docs/issuu_fenty_beauty_brand_analysis

“Fenty Beauty by Rihanna was created for everyone: for women of all shades, personalities, attitudes, cultures, and races. I wanted everyone to feel included. That's the real reason I made this line.” Fenty Beauty by Rihanna

“L'Oréal's market segmentation is based on demographic factors. Their clients belong to the middle and upper class, who identify with enhancing their beauty. Likewise, this segmentation has brought many products to the market”. What is L'Oréal's marketing strategy? | BluCactus Fashion Agency

Fenty Beauty has a daily email newsletter with a high number of subscribers. Lots of product information and insight to the brands current offerings in line with what you will see on Fenty Beauty’s social media pages. 

Fenty Beauty have not segmented their audience. The brand is currently divided into two sub brands: Fenty Skin and Fenty Beauty. When signing up to the company’s email newsletter there is not an option to click on which sub brand best suits you and therefore no option to delight on which products. consumers would be more interested in.   

If Fenty could create two different segments for those audiences, they’d be able to send super targeted and super relevant emails; and that right there is the key to increasing conversions and engagement. 

If I’m a skincare enthusiastic and my inbox is clogged up with emails about makeup, I’m more than likely just going to click that unsubscribe button.

• Creating Great Content

Firstly let’s look at what Fenty and L’Oreal are best at communicating to their consumers? Is it audio, video or written form?

Here’s a collection of their followers on each Social Media platform:

Keywords for Fenty Beauty include: 

#cleanskincare #skincareroutine#lipstickaddict #lipstickjunkie #badgirlriri #makeupremoval

Keywords for L’Oreal include:

#ForBeautyWithoutAnimalTesting #Worthit#Selflove #ColorRiche #Skincare #Revitalift

Fenty is strongest with video content because of Rhianna’s background with music videos, stage performances and entertainment. Fenty beauty’s biggest following is on YouTube. 

Looking at L’Oreal who have a more corporate background and over 100 years of experience their strength is communicating information and their platforms with the biggest following is Facebook and LinkedIn. 

After evaluating both brands presence on the instagram platform, the following points can be highlighted:

Fenty Beauty posts 3-4 times daily, the content is stunning and forward thinking. It is made up of a mixture of product demos from influencers of all backgrounds, strong product images; as well as Inspirational / motivational quotes and videos. This Social media channel is highly entertaining.

The engagement rates are high, some

posts have on average 700 comments with genuine conversation and views and they are not automated emoji responses. Here are a few examples of Fenty Beauty Posts ==> https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpjDzx9o_Ad/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpjDzx9o_Ad/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CofcXmsMYkO/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

On the other hand Loreal has a more Calm & corporate approach to visuals on its social media instagram page. 

The brand only uses models and celebrity ambassadors. It has more focus on promoting the value of the brand which is - “we are all worth it’’

L’Oreal also posts 3 times a day at different times of the day. It has a very low engagement rate in comparison to its number of followers. Most posts have zero comments and few posts have upto 100 comments, and has a few short video ads promoting the product and raising awareness of charities. Here are a few examples ==> https://www.instagram.com/reel/ClbnURijt3W/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkanZinMVrV/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CjIN9KQMQYm/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

• Using Content Properly

• Understanding the Buyers Journey (awareness, consideration, decision)

Which brand takes their customer on the most engaging and exciting customer journey? To understand more about the stages, concepts and methods involved in mapping out your customers journey see this article here ==> Content Marketing 101: Mapping Your Buyer's Journey | Cooler Insights

The majority of consumers making purchasing decisions start by looking on Google. When typing in cosmetic products such as Liquid foundation, L’Oreal is within the top 5 products listed on Google’s search results. 

Which company uses best practice in inbound marketing for creating awareness for their brand?

It’s a huge conglomerate company will other brands have the strength to take L’Oréal’s market share?

L’Oréal’s brand awareness is already established and dominant because L’Oréal have a bigger market because they are present world wide and have a history of 133 years of trading. The brand is available on every online cosmetic retailer such as Boots, Amazon and Look Fantastic. 

Alternatively celebrity influencer brand Fenty Beauty is a disrupter brand gaining market share and has a more exclusive presence online due to higher price points and only being available at selected online department stores such as Boots, Harvey Nichols and Sephora. 

When it comes to the consideration part of the customer buying journey we can evaluate each brand use of marketing emails, social media and in-store experience.

L’Oreal do not have a subscription email to sign up to for any of their brands. This could be because consumers are confident with the L’Oreal products, prices and promotions. Consumers are already delighted by the companies outbound marketing such as tv ads featuring the celebrity L’Oreal ambassadors, or brands are easily available where it’s consumers shop. 

If L’Oreal are going for a growth strategy, it is highly recommended that they introduce a twice weekly email newsletter, to generate awareness of new product launches, charity events and updates and promotions. 

Fenty Beauty has a nearly daily email newsletter with a high number of subscribers. Lots of product information and insight to the brands current offerings in line with what you will see on Fenty Beauty’s social media pages. 

Strengths and weaknesses of the inbound marketing approach used by each organisation 

STRENGTHS

Inbound Marketing is Sustainable. For more information on what sustainable Digital Marketing is check out this link here ==> https://www.solenerauturier.com/blog/sustainable-digital-marketing

Fenty Beauty has not created any awareness of what the brand is doing to protect the environment and people. Fenty Skin however uses packaging that is re-usable, and is made from recyclable materials. This is communicated to consumers on the brands social media pages and website. Find out more here ==> How We're Earth Conscious | Fenty Skin – Fenty Beauty + Fenty Skin

For such a powerful brand, this single initiative just isn’t enough. The brand should identify more opportunities to support a greener future. 

On the other hand L’Oreal are implementing a full sustainability programme to achieve by 2030 that is inspiring to other brands and will have a positive impact on the environment. They are involved in supporting the effects of climate change, managing water levels in the ocean, Working with biodiversity and most importantly preserving natural resources. More information here ==> For The Planet

Generate Leads

Inbound marketing lead generation is using Social Media, Blogs and or Email to direct consumers to a landing page with a form, where they will be given some sort of offer and or promotion. Therefore a Lead is generated. More information on this here==> Lead Generation: A Beginner's Guide to Generating Business Leads the Inbound Way

L’Oreal can definitely benefit from improved Lead Generation via inbound marketing. At present the company does not sell its products on the company website, but through many third parties world wide such as Boots, Superdrug and Look Fantastic. 

Therefore there are no Landing Pages and no email newsletters to sign up to. This is a huge opportunity miss. We consumers want to know all of the amazing initiatives L’Oreal is doing, we want to provide feedback and be listened to, we want to be in the know for new product launches, ambassador days out and what ever is the latest going on behind the scenes. Share your education and knowledge. 

Fenty Beauty is a master at inbound marketing. However there is an email sign up form at the bottom of the fenty beauty transactional website, but no landing page. This sign up covers both Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin, meaning the brand has not segmented their audience and all subscribers will receive information on both products which they might not be interested in. 

Enhances Brand Positioning

Unlike many businesses, L’Oreal are leading the cosmetic industry and have been for many years. They are defending their market share and approaching their inbound marketing from a top down direction. They have a few gaps to fill, they win on price, product variety, availability (present in most stores selling cosmetics), brand awareness. However if we look at direct to consumer there are missed opportunities with their communication such as social media engagement, email marketing, L’Oreal transactional website and reacting to consumer demand. 

Fenty Beauty has taken the cosmetics industry by storm. A beauty brand that reaches out to people of all tones and shades. The success of this brand is due to phenomenal inbound marketing. It’s not necessarily a better product than it’s competitors but all the hype and advertising have raked in consumers from across the globe. The creativity of the content supported by top influencers raving about the brand, the social media engagement is authentic and exciting, consumers still feel wide eyed with this brand, as well as the love fans have for celebrity Rhianna.

Increases Trust

If you become the educator for your brand and consistently share your knowledge your consumers will come to you. Read more about it here ==> LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com › pulseInbound Marketing: It's About Building Trust, Not Just Traffic

Fenty Beauty’s creative content definitely has the wow factor. It’s social media presence is a beautiful collection of influencers including Rhianna demonstrating how to apply the product. There are also endless videos and images promoting how glamorous and eye catching the product in its packaging is.

However, how much education and information does the brand provide on why its ingredients and formula is better than that of its competitors? It doesn’t, the product caters for all however the product itself might not be any better. What about the expertise behind the brand? The 50 to 100 years of experience competitors have? How do we know if the product is good for our skin? We are not given this information, at present Fenty Beauty is all about the hype and variety of products. 

Alternatively L’Oreal does share its years of experience such as the science behind the formulation of skincare, the problems and solutions surrounding hair care and skincare as well as how to apply the product and why it’s good for you; this builds trust and encourages higher engagement on these social media posts. 

WEAKNESSES

Successful Digital Marketing includes a very wide skill set. Check out this link to read more ==> 7 Essential Skills Every Digital Marketer Needs to Know | Digital Marketing Institute 

Fenty Beauty’s Digital Marketing Strategy broke records. Find out more here ==> YouTubehttps://m.youtube.com › watchGroup 1 - Fenty Beauty Digital Market Strategy - YouTube

L’Oreal is reshaping it’s marketing team to keep ahead of industry trends. Find out more from their team here ==> YouTubehttps://m.youtube.com › watchIntroducing: Digital at L'Oréal - YouTube

When looking at weaknesses of inbound marketing we can also do a deep dive into Analysing Creative Content, read more here ==> How to Analyse Your Content's Performance - TJ Creative  

Intense Resources, here’s a list to get started on ==> https://sproutsocial.com/insights/digital-marketing-tools/  

How Effective brands are at utilising the tools and technology involved such as analytics A/B testing, content calendars and engagement, more information here==> The 20 Best Digital Marketing Tools in 2023  

As well as Generating Quality Traffic-more information to read here ==> 30 Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Website

• Blogs & Content

Which organisation was best at inbound marketing and why

Fenty Beauty has the best practices of Inbound Marketing because they tick more successful strategy boxes. They have used inbound marketing to disrupt the cosmetics industry and it has worked. With no previous history of the product, they have brought on influencers, high social media engagement, targeted the right audience because they understood their customer, email marketing, consistent creative content, video ads, a unique value proposition, they have a user friendly transactional website and masses and masses of hype and word of mouth to spread awareness of the brand. 

Here’s more on the successful marketing strategy for Fenty Beauty ==> https://youtu.be/PRHGnU48Wcc

Give examples of how each organisation could improve its inbound marketing

L’Oreal need to improve its direct to consumer marketing by launching its own transactional website with shipping available worldwide. To support its Customer Journey and fill in missed opportunities the brand needs a daily email newsletter with a Landing Page on its website and CTAs from its social media platforms. The brand needs to go for more growth on Instagram & YouTube because number of followers, comments and shares should be market leading. Lastly invest in influencers to help spread the word of L’Oreal in addition to its current list of celebrity ambassadors.

On the flip side looking at Fenty Beauty who need click through rates and analysis of where customers are shopping for its product will identify where the brand needs to expand into new markets and shopping destinations. 

Fenty also needs to segment its customers and market its products to individual needs, for example differentiate between Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin. The brand needs to create a responsible sustainability programme and go for more growth on Facebook & LinkedIn.

It is possible to pinpoint where customers are dropping off the customer journey by using a funnel analysis tool, explained in more detail here ==> https://www.hotjar.com/blog/funnel-analysis/

Alternatively if you want to know what is and isn’t working on your customer journey such as SEO, Content, click through rates etc you can also perform a content audit explained in more detail here ==> https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/company-content-audit