Linda Wells, Revlon's Chief Creative Officer, details how she revitalized heritage beauty brands like Elizabeth Arden and Almay by overhauling packaging and digital presence, and launching Flesh Beauty. She explains how social media has fundamentally reshaped the beauty industry, decentralizing power to influencers and direct-to-consumer channels, and why "incubation" of new brands is crucial for large beauty companies to stay competitive.
Key takeaways
Legacy beauty brands must aggressively renovate all consumer touchpoints, including packaging and digital/social media, to remain relevant in a rapidly evolving market.
Social media has shifted power dynamics in the beauty industry; brands must engage with influencers and leverage new digital platforms for product discovery and communication.
Large beauty corporations should adopt an 'incubation' strategy, fostering new brands and innovations to adapt to market changes and maintain competitiveness.
The launch of new, agile brands like Flesh Beauty can be a key strategy for established companies to innovate and capture new market segments.
Understanding the profound impact of social media on consumer behavior is critical for any brand looking to succeed in the modern beauty landscape.
Since former Allure editor in chief Linda Wells landed at Revlon as chief creative officer in February 2017, she has had a busy last 21 months. Not only has she renovated all of the consumer touchpoints, like packaging and the digital and social presences of the heritage company’s portfolio of brands, such as Elizabeth Arden, Almay and Revlon, she also launched Flesh Beauty. In this week’s episode of the Glossy Beauty Podcast, Wells discussed how the industry has become “unrecognizable” because of social media, the shift in power in beauty and how incubation is the future for big beauty companies.
Legacy beauty brands must aggressively renovate all consumer touchpoints, including packaging and digital/social media, to remain relevant in a rapidly evolving market.
What does this episode say about dtc strategy?
Social media has shifted power dynamics in the beauty industry; brands must engage with influencers and leverage new digital platforms for product discovery and communication.
What does this episode say about influencer & creator?
Large beauty corporations should adopt an 'incubation' strategy, fostering new brands and innovations to adapt to market changes and maintain competitiveness.
What does this episode say about retail & omnichannel?
The launch of new, agile brands like Flesh Beauty can be a key strategy for established companies to innovate and capture new market segments.
What does this episode say about brand & content?
Understanding the profound impact of social media on consumer behavior is critical for any brand looking to succeed in the modern beauty landscape.
