Case Study: Glossier
One of the first priorities that Glossier had, even before it was born, was that Instagram was a huge priority. Even before launching Glossier, the Instagram account for Glossier had thousands and thousands of followers. They were hugely focused on how the brand that instagram account and how to leverage it to sell products.
1. So instagram came first, product and sales came after. And I think that tells you a lot about how glossier thinks about customers.
2. Second, Glossier marketing is all about authenticity. If you look at Glossier and its grid, we see puppies, we see funny things, we see very much unretouched photos. It’s not stuffy, its not an account that is formal, its authentic, its very honest, it’s light, and its fun.
3. Third, Glossier marketing takes engagement to an entire new level. When Glossier wanted to start their new face cleanser, who did they ask? They asked their customer, they asked their audience, not just for suggestions but for names, for how they wanted to shape their product.
So Glossier is a brand that doesn’t just engage with customers when they want to sell, but they engage with customers before the transaction. They engage with customers constantly, the way they operate their business is through their customers. That’s the integral part of how and who they are as a business.
4. Glossier marketing also pays attention to what works and what doesn’t. They really see what kind of post get interaction, what kind of comments, what do customers want? They are very attentive. They are very scientific about analyzing their data and they leverage the knowledge they have in a powerful way.
5. Glossier marketing leverages other social accounts. Their a lot of cross-market and cross-pollution between, for instance, Glossier and Emily Weiss, who is the founder. So that you don’t just get one voice, but you got a lot of different points of view, and that sort of like amplifies the overall voice hugely.
6. Glossier marketing makes the most of hashtags. We all have heard of glossier pink, and also seen the amazing grids of user-generated content that leverages just that. Customers who are so proud of using the brand that they create content just for the brand for its marketing purposes. It’s amazing, its clever, but it takes a lot of thought.
Questions
• Glossier has managed to completely change the beauty industry, which has been proven a hyper competitive sector for decades, with immense barriers to entry. What was the one factor that you think allowed Glossier to succeed?
• Glossier also managed to seamlessly blend their online and offline worlds. What aspects of the brand experience are reflected in both worlds?
• When you look at Glossier products, what do you think their main strengths are?
