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Glossier Chinese regional campaign plan
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Content
GLOSSIER CHINESE REGIONAL CAMPAIGN PLAN
by
Rutian Qiu (Vella)
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ANNENBERG SCHOOL
FOR COMMUNICATION AND JOURNALISM
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS
STRATEGIC PUBLIC RELATIONS
May 2021
Copyright 2021 Rutian Qiu
ii
Acknowledgements
I would love to express my gratitude to my esteemed chair – Professor Jennifer Floto, for
her patient guidance, insightful enlightenment, and invaluable support throughout the process of
drafting this thesis. Special credits also go to my dearest committee members, Professor Brenda
Lynch and Professor Su Jung Kim, for their valuable input and encouragement.
I sincerely appreciate anyone who helps me with my thesis, Cierra Wiseman, Annie Mateen,
Mike Ploszek, Sean Zhao, Madalena Cao, Ivy Hu, Rosemary Xu, Tiana Rong, Vivian Wu, Iris
Cheng, Hazel Li and Huitong Zhou. My gratitude extends to my family and friends, who care
about me, support and trust me, and send positivity to me as always.
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... ii
List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ iv
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... v
Five-Year BPC Industry Overview ................................................................................................. 1
I. Business overview .............................................................................................................. 1
II. Consumer profile ................................................................................................................ 3
III. Industry trends ................................................................................................................ 6
COVID-19 Impact on BPC Industry............................................................................................. 21
I. Financial performance ...................................................................................................... 21
II. Customer preference changes and new trends .................................................................. 23
III. How leading BPC companies have responded to COVID-19 ...................................... 27
“ 不再假‘ 妆’” China Regional Campaign-SIP Model .................................................................. 30
References ..................................................................................................................................... 61
Appendix – Focus Group Transcript............................................................................................. 69
iv
List of Figures
Figure 1: Typical Target Audience Profile in the BPC Industry .................................................... 4
Figure 2: Major Market Segmentation ............................................................................................ 5
Figure 3: Top Shopping Destinations for Buying Luxury/Prestige Beauty Products in the Past 12
Months ............................................................................................................................................ 8
Figure 4: Global Market Value for Natural Cosmetics ................................................................... 9
Figure 5: Percent Change in Online vs Offline Sales Channels ................................................... 14
Figure 6: Most Popular Shopping Destinations for Buying Cosmetics in the US ........................ 16
Figure 7: Influencer Marketing Effectiveness .............................................................................. 18
Figure 8: Beauty Brand Discovery Channels................................................................................ 19
Figure 9: How COVID-19 is Influencing the US Beauty-industry Revenue ............................... 21
Figure 10: Do-it-yourself and Self-care Beauty Products are Growing Quickly in the United
States ............................................................................................................................................. 24
Figure 11:Screenshot of Rihanna’s Livestream Selling on Taobao (source: Weibo) ................... 28
Figure 12: The Child Shadow Platte (source: ColorPop.com) ..................................................... 29
v
Abstract
The Beauty and Personal Care industry has rapidly developed over the past few years in
terms of sales volume and product varieties. The worldwide pandemic and the lockdown policy
detrimentally hit the industry. The closure of retail stores leads to plummeting sales, and the shelter
at-home regulation results in the shrunk demand of beauty and personal care products. However,
there are emerging opportunities in the Chinese market for the direct-to-consumer brands that are
adaptive for online trades. The purpose of this thesis was to generate an efficient and localized
regional campaign in China based on the SIP model for the newly developed beauty brand,
Glossier. To catch up with forthcoming trends, this thesis analyzed the BPC (Beauty and Personal
Care) industry’s developments over the past five years and changes during the worldwide
pandemic, offering industry insights for the regional campaign. The campaign idea was established
from local customers preferences according to the focus group results. The focus group discussion
was conducted with seven Chinese females (18-28 years), and content analysis was applied to
process results. For better adaptation to the local market, the campaign name was in mandarin, “ 不
再假‘ 妆’,” indicating that there was no more need to cover yourself up with complicated makeup
to pretend anyone else, but appreciated your own natural beauty. The campaign idea was aligned
with Glossier’s “No-makeup makeup” strategy, and aimed to democratize the BPC industry with
a series of promotion events.
1
Five-Year BPC Industry Overview
I. Business overview
The beauty and personal care industry (referred to as the “BPC” industry hereafter) is
composed of four main segments: cosmetics, skin care, personal care and fragrances. Cosmetics
include a wide range of facial products, including eye shadow, eyeliner, foundation, concealer,
lipstick and so on. The skin care segment refers to all the products directly applied to the skin, such
as face lotions, creams, serums, balms, bleaches, acne medications, shaving and depilatory
products. The personal care sector accounts for the most considerable portion of the BPC industry
revenue, consisting primarily of shampoo, body lotions, toothpaste, and hair styling products. The
long-lasting nature of fragrances accounts for the fairly stagnant increase of this portion’s
development, regardless of the rising number of new artisanal competitive brands introduced to
the market yearly.
The BPC industry has witnessed incredible growth over the past five years in terms of both
value and volume. According to Kayla Villena (2020), senior analyst at Euromonitor International
and US-affiliated beauty and personal care expert, the worldwide revenue of the BPC market in
2019 reached USD $505 billion, indicating a 20.24 percent increase compared to the preceding
year. However, the contribution of the four major segments was disproportionate in 2019 as
compared to years prior. The personal care segment made up almost half of the BPC’s revenue,
followed by the skin care segment with 27 percent of the recorded yearly revenue (Kayla Villena,
2020). The cosmetics sector showed promising potential, marking the highest expected growth of
4.5% per-year (Kayla Villena, 2020). Swelled disposable income, rising awareness of personal
wellness, constantly introducing innovative products, engaging marketing campaigns, the high
2
profitability of the luxury beauty sector, endorsements from pop stars and influencers offer rational
explanations to the robust industry boost. Further, the variability of the market, with wide-range
prices and varying product qualities catering to different consumers’ preferences, to some degree
cautions the BPC industry from drastic fluctuations in revenue.
It is a well-known industry standard that the BPC industry operates with a low level of
concentration, which means the limited extent that major players dominate the industry, resulting
in constantly inventing innovative products and pioneering brands to continuously impress
consumers and accelerate industry growth. The estimation from IBISWorld (2020) indicates that
the combined revenue of the top-five brands (L’Oréal, Procter & Gamble, Estée Lauder, Unilever
and Johnson & Johnson) in the BPC industry for 2020 will merely account for 26.3 percent of total
comprehensive revenue, while the top five semiconductor suppliers contribute to 42.6 percent of
global chip sale in 2020 (Thomas Alsop, 2021). The relatively low concentration level suggests
potential opportunities for more “minor” players. Triggered by the low market concentration and
loose market admission requirements, Eva Koronios (2020), the lead industry research analyst at
IBISWorld, reported that came 2020, the BPC industry had accumulated to 13,704 active
companies in total, adding more pressure, as well as opportunities to this well-established industry.
Comprehensive beauty and personal care retailers, and newly developed small brands contribute
to the above stated business expansion. Carrying exclusive lines is the preference of large retailers
such as Sephora, while small brands win the growing market share via securing contracts.
The business concentration of the BPC industry has been significantly swayed because of
new emerging markets over the past five years. Data from the Global Cosmetics Manufacturing
Report (Eva Koronios, 2020) revealed that the industry was greatly concentrated within regions of
Europe, North America and North Asia, respectively representing 35.8, 24.6 and 17.9 percent of
3
industry revenue to date. Nevertheless, along with the economic boom and advanced purchasing
capabilities and governmental support for international trade, Russia and China have significantly
driven the industry growth in recent years. At the same time, due to offshoring, US-based beauty
and personal care manufacturing has decreased in its share of the market. The burgeoning e-
commerce and thriving digital markets primarily contribute to this business concentration change.
Online shopping makes various products available globally, and this convenience-based marketing
model boosts consumption in the emerging markets. The easy access to social media enables
brands to build its brand reputation, garner public attention and attract new consumers through
digital campaigns.
II. Consumer profile
Consumers are the base, and the greatest influencers of the market. Only when consumers
recognize the products, either giving positive feedback and purchasing them, or building up a loyal
relationship and referring them to others, have brands and products been able to win over the
market and achieve financial success. Therefore, understanding its target consumers helps brands
to assure staying aligned with industry trends, crafting innovate products and seizing new
opportunities to remain at the forefront.
Synthesio (Carmen Yeung, 2020) examined consumers of the beauty and personal products
industry in 2020 and provided a typical target audience profile (see Figure 1). According to the
results, nearly 88% of the target consumers of the BPC industry are female, and over half are
between 35 to 44-years-old. The target audience profile sheds light on why there are millions of
female-centric products in each respective category and the mushrooming anti-aging products in
worldwide markets. Additionally, the above target audience is sensitive to fashion trends, with
4
keen enthusiasm for various Fashion Week activities and fashion magazines. Furthermore, this
fashion-savvy group greatly cares about quality of life.
Figure 1: Typical Target Audience Profile in the BPC Industry
Younger generations, especially Gen Z, are showing unlimited purchasing potential in the
beauty and personal care industry. Accounting for 32% of the world population, Gen Z has nudged
ahead of Millennials to become the largest age group (Lee J Miller & Wei Lu, 2018). Armed with
burgeoning purchasing capabilities, Gen Z has contributed significant revenue to the BPC industry.
WGSN’s report “Gen Z: Building New Beauty” (Laura Saunter & Jemma Shin, 2020) indicated
that female Gen Z beauty consumers spent, on average, USD $368 annually on beauty products,
witnessing an 18 percent year-to-year growth. Known as the digital generation, they have exerted
extensive influence on the digital world and are shaping the BPC industry trends. They are insistent
that brands stand for something in the social responsibility realm; they fight for the authenticity
and transparency of the ingredients, manufacturing process and other information across the
industry; they drive the technological applications in the industry including artificial intelligence
and augmented reality to offer more user-friendly and playful interactions (Laura Saunter &
Jemma Shin, 2020).
5
Moreover, beauty and personal care products aren’t regarded as necessities. Thus, the
demand and market potential are closely associated with the disposable income levels of
consumers. The Major Market Segmentation Chart (See Figure 2), in terms of the consumers’
earnings revealed by Brigette Thomas (2020), gave some clues regarding disposable income levels.
Consumers earning more than $200,000 accounted for one quarter of the market share, composing
the primary consumers of luxury beauty. The analysis also showed that this group has stayed stable
over the past five years as a consistent share of revenue. Consumers earning between $100,000
and $199,999 were regarded as aspirational shoppers who desired to be considered as luxury
audience. Due to a limited budget, they splurged on small luxuries such as brand-name body
lotions or luxury beauty lipsticks. The co-branding of products, especially when beauty brands
partner with luxury brands, and the increased quality of moderately priced products, have
stimulated the demand of this group over the past five years. Along with the economic boom and
the overall increase in disposable income levels, consumers whose earning lower than $100,000
annually have increased their expenses on industry products (Brigette Thomas, 2020).
Figure 2: Major Market Segmentation
6
III. Industry trends
- Products
1) Luxury and high-end beauty
Luxury beauty is known for organic and premium quality ingredients, delicate
packaging and product texture, as well as superior prices as compared to the counterpart
mass-produced items. They are mainly composed of, but not limited to haircare,
skincare (face and body), fragrances, color cosmetics, nail color and care and beauty
devices. Predominated by the North American and European markets initially, luxury
beauty is gaining popularity among developing countries like India and China, resulting
from increased purchasing power and easy access provided by rapidly developed e-
commerce (Bhavana Thorat, Shankar Bhandalkar & Roshan Deshmukh, 2019). The
luxury beauty market was valued at $52.7 billion in 2018, and the promising potential
anticipates a 52% increase in the market size from 2018 to 2026 (Bhavana Thorat,
Shankar Bhandalkar & Roshan Deshmukh, 2019). Nars, Lancôme, Dior beauty, Laura
Mercier and Charlotte Tilbury are all recognized as top players in luxury beauty, in
terms of the media impact value (Marie Bladt, 2019).
The rise in disposable income, the penetration of e-commerce, emotional
connections and health concerns are the primary contributors to the upsurge in luxury
beauty demand worldwide. The group with considerable disposable income for non-
discretionary products is the target audience of luxury beauty. The economic boom,
especially in developing countries, increases the average salary level and enables more
consumers to possess surged purchasing capacity. Further, luxury beauty products were
inaccessible to mass numbers of consumers before the prevalence of e-commerce.
7
Thanks to the widespread adoption of mobile phones and digital platform,
governmental support on global trade regulations and rapid growth of trans-continent
transportation system, global consumers can conveniently get almost any product they
wish. In addition to the direct stimulators, emotional connections created by luxury
beauty brands to link with consumers are the fundamental reasons why these brands
attract and maintain consumers. Boosting self-esteem, expressing mood and showing
the identification trigger purchasing behaviors of luxury products (Clare Hennigan,
2019). According to the research, fragrances are the preferred luxury beauty products,
reflecting personal connections to the fragrances and the “abundance of prestige
options in the category” (Clare Hennigan, 2019). Moreover, the escalated awareness
towards personal wellness makes more customers choose luxury brands that guarantee
natural ingredients and safe sourcing and manufacturing (Clare Hennigan, 2019).
The luxury brand name adds an established reputation, the uncountable brand
value and the noble feeling to specific beauty products. Mintel’s survey results (2019)
revealed that 59 percent of respondents are influenced by brand name, representing the
brand equity and the intangible brand value, followed by 33 percent choosing exclusive
ingredients and 21 percent favoring packaging. Similar to other luxury products, the
brand name is the assumed additional value for the high-priced products. The most
significant difference between luxury beauty products and more mainstream brands is
the consumers’ shopping strategy. Luxury beauty shoppers rely heavily on department
stores (see Figure 3). The in-store visit and service as well as the opportunities to test
samples before purchasing the expensive product might account for the abnormal
phenomenon.
8
Figure 3: Top Shopping Destinations for Buying Luxury/Prestige Beauty Products in the Past 12 Months
Innovative beauty products with multifunctional formulations covering more
comprehensive needs, smart beauty supported by enhanced smart technologies, and the
personalized shopping experience or customized beauty products are the future trends
for luxury beauty to build up close relationships with consumers and win over the
beauty market.
2) Clean beauty
Amid rising environmental consciousness and personal wellness awareness,
clean beauty has become the dominant buzzword in the beauty and personal care
industry over the past five years. Global market value for natural cosmetics has
witnessed around 4 billion in increased revenue over the past two years (see Figure 4)
and shows promising potential in the future (Reilly Roberts, 2020). When it comes to
clean beauty, people typically associate it with natural, nontoxic, sustainable, organic
and cruelty-free products. Olivia Fleming and Jenna Rosenstein offered a professional
9
explanation of clean beauty, “clean means that a beauty product should have considered
human and environmental health, using a nontoxic element as a baseline and plant-
based ingredients for active results” (Olivia Fleming & Jenna Rosenstein, 2020). Clean
beauty takes into account safety for both people and the planet. The David Suzuki
Foundation pointed out that among 82,000 ingredients used in beauty and personal care
products, almost 10,250 ingredients tested were industrial chemicals, including
“carcinogens, pesticides, reproductive toxins, and hormone disruptors” (David Suzuki
Foundation, 2018). Though the FDA has no authority to ban or recall toxic beauty
products, the industry has responded to the new inquiries based on the swift changes in
customer preferences.
Figure 4: Global Market Value for Natural Cosmetics
Originating from when parabens were deemed pariahs in hair care products
(Kayla Villena, 2020), clean beauty began to expand into the other corners of the beauty
and personal care category. “Talc-free” is highlighted in color cosmetics, and sulfates,
preservatives, silicas, dyes and phenoxyethanol are regarded as the main ingredients to
10
avoid. “Free-from” claims are widely adopted in the product promotion of the BPC
industry to highlight natural and eco-friendly ingredients. Leading clean brands have
continuously innovated products and manufacturing processes to escape from
“greenwashing” charges. To substantiate the eco-friendly Aveda brand’s Green
Science Lifting Serum, Estee Lauder adopted naturally derived ingredients, including
argan oil, which comes from the fruit’s nut. Estee Lauder also replaced its electricity-
powered manufacturing machines with wind-powered ones (Aveda, n.d). The product,
as well as the brand, appeals to beauty lovers who are concerned about natural
ingredients and environmentally friendly strategies the brand promotes. L'Oréal
partnered with MBDC, a renowned professional in material health, to drive sustainable
development and achieve new sustainability milestones. Two products of L'Oréal’s
new brand Biolage gained SILVER certifications assessed by the Cradle to Cradle®
program standards, which was created by MBDC to evaluate biodegradable levels in
beauty. The shampoo and conditioner were both 99 percent-qualified and tested free
from silicones, parabens or artificial colorants (MBDC, 2017).
3) Sustainability
The BPC industry has undergone a transformation over the past five years,
fueled by heated conversations around sustainability. Pew Research (2019) indicated
that younger generations, especially Millennials and Gen Z, were more concerned
about social responsibilities that companies undertake. The survey conducted by Mintel
(2020) stated that among 2,000 American adults aged between 18-44, compared to the
older counterparts, younger adults were significantly more loyal to brands that were
environmentally responsible than those that are not. Influenced by the broader societal
11
trends, sustainability is at the forefront of young generations’ minds (Olivia Guinaugh,
2020).
Aiming to reduce their environmental footprint, younger adults regard waste
reduction and being environmentally friendly as primary requirements and
expectations (Kayla Villena, 2020). Therefore, small, mid-sized and major players have
all tapped into evolutional sustainability initiatives, such as replacing plastic packaging
with recyclable options, adopting sustainably sourced ingredients and promoting
refillable bottles. For instance, in 2019, Dove announced the industry-leading
commitment that it would substitute the packaging of all shower gel, shampoo and
other products with 100% recycled plastic bottles by 2025 (Dove, 2019), catering to
the preferences of the eco-conscious consumers who have increasing purchasing
capacities. In addition, Lancôme introduced fragrance refill stations and refillable Idôle
as an adaption to this lifestyle shift (Laura McQuarrie, 2019).
4) Anti-aging products
A growing aging population and raising awareness of preventing aging while
young has led to the thriving anti-aging products in the beauty and personal care
industry.
According to the United Nations (n.d), “visually every country in the world is
experiencing growth in the number and proportion of older persons in their population.”
In Japan, half of the women are over the age of 50, and the portion of that demographic
will grow by 10 percent by 2050, accounting for almost 60 percent of the female
population (Lisa Du, 2019). In addition to the sizable volume, this group’s purchasing
power, especially on beauty products, is astonishing. Kantar Worldpanel (Lisa Du,
12
2019) pointed out that people over 55 made up 44 percent of the overall spending on
cosmetics, experiencing a 5 percent increase over the past four years. Admittedly, the
older consumers have composed an array of all beauty products. However, they were
especially interested in the anti-aging products and believed in anti-aging products’
functions, such as removing wrinkles, decreasing puffiness and restoring younger looks.
Research & Markets has anticipated that the aging-related market will increase 58
percent, to around $80 billion, in the next five years (Lisa Du, 2019). This mounting
demand will fuel the growth in anti-aging beauty product sales. The leading players in
the market, including Pola Orbis, Shiseido, Kosé, La Mer, Estée Lauder and Lancôme
have jumped head-first into the anti-aging category to drive the revenue.
Because of the heated discussion and extensive promotion in anti-aging
technologies, and the growing emphasis on applying anti-aging products before signs
of aging appear, the target audience of anti-aging products has expanded to the younger
generation – Millennials. However, they prefer the “prevention” products to the “anti-
aging” options. Suzannan Weiss (2019) interviewed several older Millennials and
found that they were more rational towards the facts of aging and accepted it as a
“natural and normal process.” They were more interested in the proper care that can
limit or prevent specific stressors, such as sunscreen formulas to prevent radiation
damage.
5) Products for Men
Launching a men’s line is a promising opportunity for BPC companies that are
struggling with stagnant development and urging for revenue growth. Allied Market
Research projected that the men’s personal care market was expected to hit $166 billion
13
in 2022, and a survey conducted by Euromonitor indicated over 56 percent of US male
respondents admitted to using facial cosmetic products such as foundation, blemish
balm cream or concealer at least once in 2018 (Nia Warfield, 2019). Surrounded by
male celebrities and online influencers who treat makeup as a regular part of their daily
grooming regimen, young men are now more inclusive towards beauty and personal
care. As a beauty industry analyst at NPD, Larissa Jensen recognized “Beauty is no
longer what you’re putting out as ‘ideal beauty.’ Beauty can be anything, anyone, and
any gender” (Nia Warfield, 2019). In this way, products especially designed for men
have flourished in the market over the past five years. High-end brand Chanel launched
its Boy de Chanel line in September 2018, including two skincare products, foundation,
an eyebrow brush, and lip balm. It aligned with Chanel’s quality, scent and texture, but
took more of men’s formulation requirements, like a natural look, into consideration.
- Price
The most significant change over the past five years regarding price setting in
the BPC industry is the widened spectrum of price options. Because of the saturated
market and the fierce competition, some unestablished brands have adopted a low-price
strategy to win over those in the price-sensitive audience. Furthermore, as a result of
the rapid development in the ingredient sourcing and the manufacturing process, the
cost of goods has dwindled while maintaining the same quality. E.L.F’s 16HR Camo
Concealer is available at $5 nationwide, and the Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless
Foundation only costs $7 retail (Eleanor Mallon, 2019). The BPC industry has made
great effort to make products affordable. At the same time, the boom of luxury beauty
14
has driven the maximum price setting. It is the brand reputation, value and equity, rather
than the product quality, that define the value of luxury beauty products. Gucci's
eyebrow pencil retails at $32 each, more than the average foundation price. Therefore,
the prices of beauty products are decided by numerous factors. Wide ranges of product
price in each respective category allows every customer to find a suitable product in
the market, somewhat cushioning the industry from drastic changes in sales, revenue
and profit (Eva Koronios, 2020).
- Place
1) Growing emphasis on E-commerce
E-commerce beauty and personal care sales in the US have recorded the most
rapid growth among all distribution channels, and still show the potential to gain the
market share from store-based retailing in 2019 (Kayla Villena, 2020). The same
scenario is observed in the global market. Data from the Common Thread Collective
(2020) specified that the percent change in online sales channels climbed while the
offline share dropped (see Figure 5).
Figure 5: Percent Change in Online vs Offline Sales Channels
15
E-commerce beauty has flourished over the past five years due to the
widespread adoption of mobile phones, easily accessible e-commerce platforms and a
closely connected world on social media. Online shopping enables consumers to view
the product information during a segmented time, compare the product qualities and
prices freely, and learn authentic feedback from other users on social media.
Additionally, consumers gain valuable recommendations through Googling and get
desired products on-time right at the front door. It provides transparency and
convenience as well as shapes brand-new shopping habits.
At the same time, e-commerce offers vast opportunities to beauty and personal
care brands. E-commerce automatically records the purchasing behaviors of consumers
as well as the instant feedback both from the review section and social media
interactions. In this way, BPC brands can connect with consumers directly and track
the changes in consumers’ preferences. For brands with vertically integrated business
models and manufacturing, the customer-centric approach provides them more
mobility to quickly translate consumers’ preferences into new products or adjust the
product positioning and the promotion strategy accordingly.
The online share of the BPC industry is projected to surge around 50 percent in
the US by 2023 (Reilly Roberts, 2020). The newly developed beauty brands widely
adopted the DTC marketing strategy. eMarketer (2020) gave the supporting evidence
for the new business model that beauty lovers who cared about quality preferred
shopping from a cosmetic brand’s site (64%). Therefore, the unleashed potential of e-
commerce, including the DTC business model, will revolutionize the BPC industry.
2) Omnichannel strategy
16
Regardless of the fact that prosperous e-commerce has stimulated evolutional
changes in the BPC industry over the past years, the profitability and the long-term
growth of the industry will be greatly limited if e-commerce becomes the pure-play
distribution channel. In the case of US markets, traditional distribution channels and
retail chains still rule, “luring a whopping 81 percent of the market in-stores” (Reilly
Roberts, 2020). Aside from the large portion of respondents who chose “online” as the
most popular shopping destination for buying cosmetics, people were accustomed to
turning to traditional channels, such as a “drug store or pharmacy,” “mass
merchandiser,” and “department store” (see Figure 6). Therefore, it is attractive to
escalate brands’ presence through omnichannel expansion and guarantee the products’
availability.
Figure 6: Most Popular Shopping Destinations for Buying Cosmetics in the US
17
- Promotion
1) Influencer endorsement
The popularity of influencer marketing has exploded over the past five years on
various social media platforms, especially on Instagram. The market size of Instagram
influencers has doubled from 2017 to 2019, reaching $2.38 billion (Sandra Chung,
2020). Influencer marketing is different from traditional celebrity endorsements.
Celebrities -- actors, artists, athletes or models -- are appreciated by the public because
of their professional talents. They endorse brands through transferring their positive
image and personalities to the brand and increase the brand value. However, influencers,
who usually have a cult following, win success via branding themselves as social media
experts (Susie Khamis, Lawrence Ang & Raymond Welling, 2017). They attract and
maintain thousands of followers through sharing self-generated creative content on
specific topics like beauty, fashion, food, travel, fitness and more. According to the
experiment conducted by Alexander Schouten, Loes Janssen & Maegan Verspaget
(2019), since influencers are more like “ordinary people” and the audience identifies
more with influencers, consumers trust influencers more than celebrities. Not only in
impressing and reaching out to a broader consumer base, influencer endorsements can
also strengthen the brand messaging and achieve a high conversion rate. The
infographic from MediaKix (2019) demonstrates that influencer marketing has a higher
ROI than both digital media and paid media (See Figure 7). The considerable
communication efficiency stimulates more brands to allocate more budget to influencer
marketing.
18
Figure 7: Influencer Marketing Effectiveness
2) Integrated Marketing Communication
An integrated marketing communication (IMC) strategy is widely adopted in
the BPC industry for brand and product promotion. It is regarded as the most strategic
approach to coordinate messages across different channels, including paid media,
earned media, shared media and owned media, to address the consistent messaging and
present a “unified and seamless experience to consumers” (Robert Allen, 2020). The
IMC strategy comes along with the expansion of social media based on rapid
technological development. Different channels have distinctive ways to deliver
messages. For example, YouTube features videos, while Instagram and Pinterest win
their audience through attractive picture placements. The diversified representations of
consistent messaging contribute to higher communication efficiency and reach a
broader consumer base. With the theme as the core of the communication plan, the
integrated marketing communication strategy can comprehensively increase brand
awareness, familiarity and favorability. The figure below (Reilly Roberts, 2020) shows
the various channels for consumers to learn and discover beauty and personal care
19
products. Similar portions show the importance of conducting an integrated marketing
communication strategy to cover the vast and scattered target audience.
Figure 8: Beauty Brand Discovery Channels
3) CSR Commitment
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) plays an indispensable role in achieving
a company’s sustainable development. As an evolving practice that drives social causes
like sustainability, diversity, equity and philanthropic movements, it requires
companies to undertake social responsibilities and incorporate these causes into the
brand mission and value. Younger generations with escalated social awareness have
made CSR a priority for all-sized businesses. The Deloitte Global Millennial Survey
(2020) analyzed over 27.5 thousand views of Millennials and Gen Z’s. It reached the
20
conclusion that the younger generations remained focused on significant societal issues
regardless of individual challenges and personal anxieties (Deloitee, 2020). And 42
percent of Millennials have strengthened their relationships with businesses that they
trust will exert positive imp acts on social movements in the future. In comparison, 37
percent have abandoned or turned-away from brands that they think are unethical
(Deloitee, 2020). Not limited to the large-sized companies that have volunteered to
undertake social responsibilities for the long term, a significant amount of newly
developed brands craft CSR-based practices as a foundation. For example, Otherwild
is a hybrid retail store and design studio located in West Hollywood, CA, which was
born with the mission of promoting and advocating for queer culture (Otherwild, n.d).
21
COVID-19 Impact on BPC Industry
I. Financial performance
Like many business sectors, the beauty and personal care industry has been
negatively impacted by the global COVID-19 crisis. Widespread store closures, business and
school lockdowns, and travel ban and shelter-at-home implementations have led to shrunken
sales in the BPC industry. Additionally, considering the economic instability and high
unemployment rates, consumers reduced nondiscretionary expenses, such as makeup.
According to a recent McKinsey Report “How COVID-19 is changing the world of beauty”
(2020) released in May, the first quarter sales of the BPC industry were weak, and the second
quarter was likely to hit over a 50 percent drop compared to the prior year. Based on
McKinsey’s anticipation, with a COVID-19 surge, which is the fact at the time of this
research, the US market’s revenue will decline up to 35 percent (see Figure 9). Though the
Figure 9: How COVID-19 is Influencing the US Beauty-industry Revenue
22
Chinese market has rebounded since March and witnessed the first positive quarterly growth
in the third quarter (National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2020), the overall performance
of the BPC industry in the global market is sluggish.
However, not all categories are experiencing a loss. L'Oréal published its first quarter
earnings report (L'Oréal, 2020) and noted that at-home hair color, hair care, hygiene products
and facial cleansing had witnessed accelerated sales volumes, despite the poor performance
in the makeup category. Additional data from McKinsey’s Report (2020) also verified an
upsurge of the retail sales in nail care (+218%, year-over-year change, from March 15
th
-
April 11
th
, 2019-20), hair coloring (+172%), body wash, soap & lotion (+65%), men’s
grooming (+56%), women’s hair removal (+53%) and other do-it-yourself and self-care
beauty products. We can conclude that sheltering at home decreases the priority of makeup
and fragrances but boosts the needs of self-care and pampering to deal with anxiety. For
example, luxury hand soap purchases in France swelled 800 percent the week of March 16
th
,
2020, according to NPD, the US-based data tracking authority (Emily Gerstell, Sophie
Marchessou, Jennifer Schmidt and Emma Spagnuolo, 2020). The Chinese market also has
shown promising potential of “above-the-mask” treatments. Alibaba disclosed that eye
cosmetic sales experienced a 150% increase (month over month) during the week of
February 18
th
, 2020 (Christine Chou, 2020).
The global crisis has accelerated direct-to-consumer e-commerce and BPC product
innovation. To cope with negative impacts of the pandemic and retain sustainable growth,
numerous BPC brands have shifted its business focus on online sales. E-commerce sales are
likely to scale-up twice when compared to pre-COVID-19 levels (Emily Gerstell, Sophie
Marchessou, Jennifer Schmidt and Emma Spagnuolo, 2020). Sephora in the US also reported
23
30 percent growth in 2020 over the previous year (Priya Rao, 2020). Due to store closures,
consumers have been forced to adopt the online shopping model and brands are likewise
adapting to the direct-to-consumer e-commerce model. If the model can be retained after
COVID-19, it will be beneficial for all brands sustainable development. At the same time,
the sudden crisis has made brands figure out new consumer needs and preferences as quickly
as possible and innovate the product accordingly. The widespread pandemic has brought
about demanding challenges as well as promising developing opportunities.
II. Customer preference changes and new trends
1) DIY beauty
As spas and salons remain inaccessible during forced lockdown restrictions and
limited financial resources remain prevalent, more and more consumers, especially
younger generations, have turned to do-it-yourself, at-home beauty. Disclosed by
McKinsey’s Report (2020), the top seven fastest-growing categories in the beauty and
personal care industry are all identified as do-it-yourself (DIY) and self-care products,
indicating increased attention consumers have granted DIY beauty during quarantine time
(see Figure 10). Because of lockdown measures, spas and salons are no longer under
operation, so lack of access to professionals has brought about the enormous surge in trials
of at-home and do-it-yourself products (Olivia Guinaugh, 2020). Moreover, younger
generations are concerned about financial resources due to the unstable economy and
increasing unemployment rates. To cope with tighter budgets, consumers have turned to
DIY approaches to take care of their appearance, such as nail care and hair coloring (Olivia
Guinaugh, 2020). A start-up hair care and color brand, Madison Reed, has witnessed a 10-
24
fold sales increase since the pandemic (Mark Calvey, 2020). It also launched online
guidance, the “Colorist on Call” series, to teach consumers how to dye their hair via
Facebook Live. This innovative, socially distanced marketing tool has attracted more
potential consumers who were initially hesitant about trying the DIY beauty, due to a lack
of instruction and confidence (Mark Calvey, 2020).
Figure 10: Do-it-yourself and Self-care Beauty Products are Growing Quickly in the United States
2) Synthetic ingredients
Clean beauty that highlights natural, healthy and nontoxic ingredients, and safe
sourcing and manufacturing, has been trending in recent years because of the increased
awareness of personal wellness. The widespread COVID-19 pandemic strengthens
perceptions of maintaining personal health amongst this audience. For example, almost
half of US consumers claimed to be bathing more frequently and taking more time during
25
every bath or shower during stay at home orders (Olivia Guinaugh, 2020). Consumers have
additionally become more insistent and educated on ingredient safety as a result of the viral
pandemic. However, instead of requesting 100 percent naturally sourced ingredients, there
is a new trend of accepting engineered, “healthy synthetic” ingredients for living a “greener”
life (Olivia Guinaugh, 2020). In fact, clean beauty advocates have become more aware of
the harmful impacts to the planet and environment that mass producing natural-originated
ingredients fosters. According to Mintel’s Clean Beauty research (2019), 21% of adults
aged 18-34 showed their concerns about whether the natural ingredients used in clean
beauty were sustainable. A quarter of respondents were looking forward to the more
sustainable replacements. The advent of COVID-19 raised their anxiety about the potential
impacts of natural ingredients on the planet and the global environment. In order to reduce
our carbon footprint and live a “greener” life, more consumers have been more receptive
to synthetic ingredients, as long as they are healthy and nontoxic.
3) Products with scent
Despite the fact that the beauty industry continues to face steep drops, home
fragrance, hand cream, aromatherapy and hand soap are thriving during the pandemic. A
poll launched by the American Psychiatric Association (2020) claims that COVID-19
severely impacts the public’s mental well-being. Almost 60% of Americans feel
Coronavirus is having a severe influence over their “normal” lives. Additionally, 57% of
people are concerned about their financial situations and almost half are worried about a
shortage of food, medicine, or supplies (American Psychiatric Association, 2020). The
limited social connections and the loss of control over a “normal life” make people feel
lonely, stressed and anxious. Home fragrances like candles and hand cream, or any other
26
self-care products designed with comforting scents, can ease anxiety and bring the illusion
of normalcy. As a result, sales of scented products have surged during the quarantine time.
Net-a-Porter, an international online retailer, reported a 130% year-over-year increase in
mid-March regarding candle sales (Suzanne Scott, 2020). Quarantine life might cultivate
consumers’ using habits of scent-oriented products, leading them to regard such items as
necessities, even after the Coronavirus pandemic.
4) Livestreaming e-commerce
E-commerce livestreaming has turned into a phenomenon amid the pandemic. The
lockdown policy deprives customers of in-store experiences, including personalized
services. Livestreaming has been widely used for holding concerts or ballad performances
in the past; now, COVID-19 also gives rise to livestream marketing, consisting of
promoting and advertising products on livestreaming channels, and selling them directly
on an e-commerce platform. This phenomenon has skyrocketed in China during lockdown
restrictions. The number of e-commerce livestreaming sessions in China in the first quarter
of 2020 topped four million, and transactions grew more than 160% year-over-year in
March, according to China’s Commerce Ministry (Evelyn Cheng, 2020). Livestreaming e-
commerce enables hosts to construct an intimate conversation with consumers, and
authentically apply or use the products in front of the camera. In this way, it seems like
consumers are watching one of their friends testing the products, which is more convincing.
The convenience and authentic experience of livestream marketing efforts contribute to the
success of livestreaming selling.
27
III. How leading BPC companies have responded to COVID-19
1) Fenty Beauty – Livestreaming selling on Chinese biggest e-commerce, Taobao
Rihanna opened the China flagship store for Fenty Beauty at the biggest e-
commerce platform, Taobao, last fall. She joined Taobao Live to promote her beauty brand
and products via livestreaming on September 24
th
, 2020. The livestream took thirty minutes
and was hosted by Fenty Beauty’s Chinese spokesman, Ju Wang, and the fashion blogger
Gogoboi. The superstar’s longtime makeup artist Priscilla Ono also sat alongside Rihanna
to showcase the functionality of Fenty Beauty products. Further, Ono’s presence provided
professional guidance on how to apply the products efficiently and appropriately. Thanks
to the broad fan base of Rihanna in China, and the popularity of Ju Wang and Gogoboi
among Chinese young consumers, around 200,000 viewers jumped in the livestreaming
and interacted with Rihanna through messaging channels (CCI Team, 2020). The hashtag
“Rihanna livestreams” (# 蕾哈娜直播#) on Weibo, the biggest social media platform in
China, has been viewed over 40 million times. The livestreaming campaign sparked a
heated discussion on Chinese social media, even beyond the beauty consumers. Since it
was the first time that a non-local brand livestreamed on the Chinese biggest e-commerce
platform, people were thrilled to meet Rihanna in the livestreaming room, regarding it was
a breakthrough in the domestic beauty industry that could be applicable to other industries
as well. It greatly escalated Fenty Beauty’s brand awareness in the Chinese market.
28
Figure 11:Screenshot of Rihanna’s Livestream Selling on Taobao (source: Weibo)
2) ColorPop Disney – Baby Yoda eyeshadow palette
ColorPop has a long history of co-branding with Disney. In recent years, ColorPop has
launched special makeup collections for each princess with limited edition products. On
October 27
th
, 2020, ColorPop debuted the The Child palette, affectionately referred to as Baby
Yoda. Makeup designers and artists were inspired by the hit series “The Mandalorian” on
Disney+ (Jacqueline Laurean Yates, 2020). Not limited to the audience of “The Mandalorian,”
fans of “Star Wars” also loved the fun shade names. Also noted by fans, the use of unique
olive-green colors and a range of finishes from matte to metallic are suitable for Halloween
and holiday cosplay makeup. With the joint effort, ColorPop unleashed the possibilities of
makeup products and impressed the beauty industry with innovative products even during the
shelter-at-home period.
29
Figure 12: The Child Shadow Platte (source: ColorPop.com)
30
“不再假‘ 妆’” China Regional Campaign-SIP Model
To apply all of the principles I have previously outlined, I have devised a comprehensive, strategic
PR plan for one of the world’s most successful new BPC companies: Glossier. Using USC
Annenberg’s proprietary Strategic Integrated Planning Model, I have constructed a realistic
approach for Glossier to expand its reach in the lucrative Chinese market.
I. Company or Organization Background
Glossier is a back-to-basics, digital-first and direct-to-consumer beauty brand that has a
cult following among Millennials and Gen Z. The brand stemmed from a popular beauty blog, Into
The Gloss, launched by Emily Weiss in September 2010. Into The Gloss features beauty
conversations with women, and is actively followed by 1.5 million beauty lovers who were
enthusiastic about new beauty trends (Jilly Avery, 2019). Aiming to achieve business expansion,
Weiss reached out to venture capitalists, raised a $2 million seed round, and finally announced the
launch of Glossier.com in October 2014, showcasing four initial products (Alyssa Giacobbe, 2017).
The debut of Glossier, featuring an all-purpose balm, a sheer skin tint, a moisturizer and a facial
mist, (Maria Del Russo, 2014) shook the beauty industry. Later, Glossier extended the product line
from skincare and makeup to fragrance and personal care products, such as shower gel and body
lotion. In the latest fund report led by Sequoia Capital in March 2019, Glossier Inc. was valued at
$1.2 billion (Katie Roof &Yuliya Chernova, 2019).
The brand disrupted the beauty industry with a “no-makeup makeup” strategy to highlight
the importance of natural beauty. “Skin first. Makeup Second” is the headline on its website, and
the brand is dedicated to providing intuitive and uncomplicated products, derived from natural
ingredients, that support clean beauty and advocate for personal wellness. Glossier frees customers
31
from products that “cover” their natural beauty and aims to make them feel more comfortable in
their own skin. As the official description on the website notes, “it is all about fun, freedom and
confidence” (Glossier, n.d).
Glossier’s direct-to-consumer business model has garnered public attention, since it is a
rarity in the beauty and personal care industry to operate without partnering with big-time mass
merchandisers. Most notably, these include Walmart and Target, or the biggest vertical-specific
players like Sephora and Ulta. Glossier is at the top of the industry in luring customers through
savvy marketing. For example, marketers chose Beyoncé to unveil its new Lidstar eyeshadow at
the Grammy Awards (Business of Fashion, 2018), and kept the audience guessing with its social
media post, ‘Beyoncé wears___ in___ (coming soon),’ raising a heated discussion. Similar to
Nike’s new sneaker drop strategy, Glossier continuously hypes its new products and collects a cult
following.
Further, Glossier has developed itself into a “cult brand” with a digital community gathered
through social media. “Born from content, fueled by community” is the core strategy to the brand’s
success. “We want to do that by inserting people into the buying experience, so that we’re
merchandising people’s opinions and stores just as much as we are merchandising products,” said
Emily Weiss (Jilly Avery, 2019). Glossier has promoted conversations not only limited between
the brand and consumers, but also among consumers themselves. Peer-to-peer recommendations
and feedback are more convincing and can convert into purchasing behaviors. Evolving from a
blog and escalating its presence on social media, Glossier always builds close relationships with
consumers, remains a topic of conversation and transfers new ideas into product development.
Ultimately, consumer-centric marketing has made Glossier a trusted, innovative and reliable brand.
32
II. Mission Statement (Business Goal)
“Democratize beauty.” Glossier commits to democratizing the beauty industry that has forever
been top-down via creating an encompassing community and environment for consumers to share
the products they love, highlighting the significance of natural beauty, promoting a new democratic
approach to beauty with intuitive and uncomplicated choices, and providing products inspired and
developed from the feedback and unfulfilled needs of consumers (Glossier, n.d).
III. Brand Positioning
– To: young (aged 15 to 35 years old) beauty lovers
– Glossier is the: direct-to-consumer beauty and personal care brand aiming to democratize
the industry and help you look like the best version of yourself, instead of a pre-determined,
unattainable beauty standard.
– That: offers intuitive and uncomplicated products that are fun to use and actually work on
your face.
– Because: it prioritizes the consumers’ authentic feedback and unsatisfied needs, promotes
the new democratic beauty approach – being OK with yourself -- and valuing the natural
beauty everyone has, and incorporates clean, simple, inclusion and diversity into product
values and brand awareness.
IV. Statement of Problem or Opportunity
The global economy has shrunk significantly due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The
shutdown of brick-and-mortar stores under the shelter-at-home policy as well as the upsurge of the
unemployment rate and the decline in disposable income all contribute to the weak consumer
33
goods industry performance. According to McKinsey’s Report (Emily Gerstell, Sophie
Marchessou, Jennifer Schmidt & Emma Spagnuolo, 2020), among the variety of markets,
consumers reported they intended to allocate more budget to the discretionary products, such as
clothing and footwear, instead of beauty products, offering the rationale for the sales drop in the
BPC industry. Additionally, the shutdown of physical beauty stores and the plummeted traffic in
drug stores and mass-market retailers that remained opening during the pandemic have shaken the
beauty industry. Even though beauty brands have swiftly changed their business focus to the online
market, it is hard to offset the loss of the decline in in-store sales considering the large portion of
the in-store shopping accounted for before the pandemic (Emily Gerstell, Sophie Marchessou,
Jennifer Schmidt & Emma Spagnuolo, 2020). McKinsey’s Report revealed that before COVID-
19 hit, in-store shopping made up 85 percent of the beauty product sales in most major beauty
markets. The same scenario is shared among Millennials and Gen Z, who are regarded as digital
generations and adapted to online shopping. 60 percent of their purchases are made in-store (Emily
Gerstell, Sophie Marchessou, Jennifer Schmidt & Emma Spagnuolo, 2020). Therefore, the
estimation from McKinsey showed that the beauty industry revenue stream would experience a
20-to-30 percent drop in 2020 (Emily Gerstell, Sophie Marchessou, Jennifer Schmidt & Emma
Spagnuolo, 2020). The beauty industry faces the most demanding challenge as there is only
speculation about when the world will return to normalcy. Finding solutions to survive throughout
the pandemic and build a brand during recession time, or even revolutionize the industry, is
essential for Glossier’s long-term growth.
However, despite the slowdown of global economic growth, the Chinese market has
rebounded since March when the country gradually turned back to “normal life” and 95 percent of
large companies outside Wuhan were reopened (Jessica Schiffer, 2020). According to the public
34
report from the National Bureau of Statistics of China (2020), the third quarter of 2020 witnessed
the first positive quarterly growth that year: 0.9 percent. Additionally, retail sales of cosmetics
grew by 4.5 percent in the first three quarters of 2020 (National Bureau of Statistics of China,
2020), ranking the third fastest-growing category among the upgraded consumer goods. The
“bounce back” of the beauty business in China started on International Women’s Day. Leading
players in the beauty industry, including Estée Lauder, SK-II, Shiseido and Lancôme, participated
in the holiday celebration on Alibaba’s Taobao, the biggest e-commerce platform in China, and
reached a 200 percent surge in sales (Jessica Schiffer, 2020). The ingrained digital-first approach
and “revenge spending” phenomenon contributed to the holiday season online sales magic. In
addition to the rapid recovery after the pandemic peaked, the Chinese market, especially the
Chinese beauty industry, has shown promising potential. Thanks to technology developments,
integrated marketing strategy, rising beauty awareness and convenient e-commerce platforms, the
beauty sales growth in China, 12.9%, outpaced the growth in the States, 4.6%, in 2018 (Jasmine
Wu, 2019). Morgan Stanley (2019) suggested that China’s share of the global market could swell
by 66 percent over the next five years. Therefore, it is beneficial for Glossier to consider expanding
into this specific high-growth market, where potential exists to take the brand to the next level
during the pandemic, as well as offset its losses in the US market.
V. Research
Research Goals:
• What are the changes and trends of the beauty and personal care industry in the global
market?
35
• What is the current situation within the personal care industry in China? What are the
future developmental prospects?
• How does COVID-19 impact the beauty and personal care industry, both in the global
market and specifically in the Chinese market?
• What strategies did beauty brands adopt to respond to the pandemic? How are the
results interpreted?
• What are consumers’ expectations and unfulfilled needs towards the beauty and
personal care products during/after the pandemic?
• How does Chinese media portray non-domestic beauty brands?
Research Methodology:
1) Primary-Qualitative research
Conduct a focus group with seven Chinese women on Zoom to learn about their
skincare and makeup routine, purchasing behaviors and preferences of beauty and
personal care products, and changes during the quarantine (See the full focus group
transcript in Appendix).
A focus group is an efficient approach to gain detailed insights and authentic
thoughts from the target audience through creating an inclusive and harmonious
discussion environment. Participants from Glossier’s potential target audience group,
but with diversified backgrounds, can represent a broad audience and offer opinions
from different angles.
- Participants
Name Age
Current
Location
Degree
(Country)
Major
Cost of living
(monthly)
36
Rosemary 24
Shanghai,
Eastern China
Master
(US)
Strategic
Public
Relations
~$3000
Ivy 20
Hangzhou,
Eastern China
Undergrad
(China)
Chinese
Literature
~$800
Madalena 19
Hohhot,
Western China
Undergrad
(Portugal)
Portuguese ~$1500
Hazel 22
Chengdu,
Western China
Master
(Hongkong,
China)
Computer
Science
~$1500
Iris 28
Beijing,
Central China
Master
(UK)
Marketing ~$3500
Vivian 26
Shenyang,
Northern China
Ph.D.
(China)
Journalism ~$1100
Tiana 18
Shenzhen,
Southern China
Undergrad
(UK)
Economy ~$2500
- Method
Seven participants were invited to attend the online focus group
discussion via Zoom on October 10
th
. The thesis author was the moderator who
received the focus group training at USC Annenberg PR504 Strategic Public
Relations Research, Evaluation and Insights. The focus group was both audio
and video recorded with participant’s consents and lasted approximately 90
mins. Participants who attended the focus group discussion received a sample
Glossier’s hand cream. The 1.5h of recorded discussion was transcribed
verbatim to produce a manuscript (See Appendix). Content analysis was
applied to analyze the results and record the inputs. The moderator heard the
audio recordings and read the manuscript several times to gain strategic
37
insights, which was down three times within a 15-day interval to assure
credibility and stability.
2) Secondary Research
• Global beauty and personal care industry analysis (global cosmetics manufacturing,
beauty and personal care in the US, cosmetic & beauty products manufacturing in the
US, WGSN)
• Chinese beauty and personal care industry analysis (J.P.Morgan, Morgan Stanley,
CNBC)
• COVID-19 impact on the beauty industry (McKinsey, Personal care consumer: INCL
impact of COVID-19)
• Chinese retail sales and economic performance during the pandemic (National Bureau
of Statistics of China, Vogue)
• Luxury beauty analysis (Luxury Beauty Consumer)
• Competitive analysis including marketing strategies during the pandemic and
execution results of Fenty Beauty and ColorPop
• Media coverage of Glossier and the founder Emily Weiss (Vogue, Time, Business of
Fashion)
• Heytea co-branding case analysis (Business of Fashion, South China Morning Post,
Value China)
VI. Situation Analysis (SWOTS)
Internal
38
• Strengths
- Cruelty free
- Affordable quality products with lovely packaging
- Digital community and loyal consumer base
- Strong social media presence
- Savvy marketing strategies
- Appealing products for young, trendy consumers
• Weaknesses
- Finite offline exposure
- Lack of brand awareness internationally/globally
- Limited product portfolio
- Hard to access beyond e-commerce
- Fairly young in the BPC market
External
• Opportunities
- Rising awareness towards personal wellness in 2020/21
The booming $4.5 trillion business of the health and wellness industry during the
pandemic indicates that health has been the primary focus when people readjusting
their “new normal” life, from healthy eating to workout at home (Jackie Chiquoine,
2020)
- Emphasis on natural beauty
39
Natural beauty encourages the audience to showcase their natural skin and beauty with
uncomplicated and cruelty-free products, instead of covering themselves up and
pretending to be anyone else.
- Emerging e-commerce and increased online shoppers
Shelter-at-home regulation during the pandemic made people be adapted to virtual life.
According to OBERLO (2021), it has witnessed a 4.4% year-over-year increase in the
number of online shoppers in February 2021 versus the same time in 2020, amounting
to 2.14 billion.
- Integrated communication platforms
From text to audio, video to 3D, developed technologies applied to communication
methods create the immerse, convenient, interactive communication environment. It
lays the foundation for brands to leverage various features and benefits of different
platforms and design the integrated campaigns, offering the seamless experience for
customers.
• Threats
- Decreased demand since the need for makeup when sheltering at home may linger
indefinitely
McKinsey’s report pointed out that U.S. consumers intended to spend 36% less on the
skincare/beauty category during the pandemic when compared to the usual (Emily
Gerstell, Sophie Marchessou, Jennifer Schmidt & Emma Spagnuolo, 2020). Due to the
social distancing policy, the demand of wearing sleek makeup has plummeted when
there is no need for school, work or party. Additionally, more consumers are concerned
about their skin health when they cover their skin with foundation under masks.
40
- Global recession caused by the pandemic
The world economy was detrimentally hit by the widespread coronavirus. International
Monetary Fund estimated that global growth was projected to be -4.9% in 2020. All
developed countries experienced negative economic growth over the past year.
(International Monetary Fund, 2021)
- Fierce competition and almost-saturated market
There are 13,704 active companies in the BPC industry, competing for the limited
market share (Eva Koronios, 2020). Top executives have established their reputation
in this market, and minor players have tried their best to figure out the unfulfilled needs
and won over the market with the innovated products.
- Volatile consumer preferences
Customer preferences depend on their background knowledge, shopping habits,
personal preferences, peer recommendations, etc. It is constantly varying when the
surrounding environment changes or the stylish trend comes. The worldwide pandemic
has brought about more unpredictable life changes, leading to more volatile consumer
preferences. (Aditi Brodie, Alan Davies, Shruti Lal, & Fernando Perez, 2020)
- Growing angst/poor mental health among target consumers
The horrible pandemic loss, the climbing unemployment rate, uncertain future life, and
limited social connections result in poor mental health. 40% adults in the U.S. have
declared “symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder.” (Nirmita Panchal, Rabah
Kamal, Cynthia Cox & Rachel Garfield, 2021) The negative impact of pandemic
probably exerts the long-term influence on target consumers, leading to a diminished
demand of nondiscretionary products.
41
VII. Strategic Insights
For the beauty and personal care industry
• Foundation is indispensable and has an unfulfilled market with specific expectations.
Because of the diminished budget on non-discretionary products such as makeup during
the crisis, and the declining need for wearing makeup when sheltering at-home, makeup
sales shrunk more than skin care and other categories. However, over half of the Chinese
women who participated in the focus group (5 out of 7) surprisingly chose foundation when
they were asked what they would select if they were only allowed to keep three beauty and
personal care products in their routine. This insight speaks to the intense competitiveness
of foundation within the BPC industry: foundation has almost become a necessity for
young women. Further, despite the fact that there are hundreds of foundations available in
the market, they still fail to satisfy all needs, according to our focus group respondents.
“Ultra-Thin, good covering, long-lasting, applicable to both oily and dry skin types” are
the specific requirements for the ideal foundation, according to the focus group respondents.
Though demanding, it reflects the authentic user experience. Young consumers feel they
need foundation to look their best, for covering acne marks or balancing their complexion.
However, as of late, letting the skin breathe and keeping a continuous healthy skin
condition is also what consumers are pursuing, especially during a prolonged period of
mask-wearing. Glossier’s Perfect Skin Tint foundation positions itself as an ultra-thin,
breathable and smooth vegan foundation that is designed for all skin types, almost
resolving the unfulfilled requirements unveiled by the focus group respondents. Therefore,
Glossier can revolutionize the Chinese foundation market with the Perfect Skin Tint
42
foundation and highlight the benefits of the ultra-thin, breathable and smooth vegan
formula for skin health and natural makeup.
• Samples/testers are essential in influencing purchasing behaviors. Beauty brands rarely
sell samples for relatively expensive beauty products such as foundation and serums. High-
priced products like foundation and serums always have a large volume and can be used
for a long time. Surprisingly, all the women respondents within the focus group agreed that
they would love to buy samples and small testers for foundation, cream and serums, or
other expensive products, if affordable. At present, some girls admitted that using friends’
products, another approach for testing, had a decisive impact on their purchase decisions.
If this strategy was embraced, there would be no need for further research and comparison
on the part of consumers. Several participants said they would make an in-store visit and
try the product personally, but it was inconvenient for them to find all beauty brands.
Consequently, giving away samples or even selling them is a shortcut for Glossier to reach
out to an extensive consumer base and achieve a relatively high conversion rate.
• “Nude Makeup” will shake the beauty industry. “Nude Makeup” started to thrive on
YouTube in 2018 and has recently become a buzzword on Chinese social media platforms
Weibo
1
and RED
2
. The hottest “Nude Makeup” video on Weibo has circulated 22.6M+
views. “Nude Makeup” garners public attention through cutting down on complicated
makeup routines and minimizing the products applied on the face. Instead of sleek makeup
covering you up, this trend highlights natural beauty and makes the individual look more
radiant within three steps – foundation, an eyebrow pencil, and lipstick: a time saving, cost-
1
Weibo is a Chinese microblogging website, similar to Instagram.
2
RED (xiaohongshu) is a social media and e-commerce platform allowing users to post and share product reviews, travel blogs
and lifestyle stories via short videos and photos. 70% of the users are Gen Z, and 80% of the users are females.
43
effective and friendly-to-skin healthy routine. The rising awareness towards personal
wellness that has resulted from the pandemic boosts the popularity of “Nude Makeup.”
Glossier’s “no-makeup makeup” strategy perfectly fits the notion of “Nude Makeup.”
Armed with straight and evolutional brand value, Glossier can normalize the notion of
“Nude Makeup,” portraying it as a fashion/beauty standard, instead of a temporary trend.
• Skin care is more necessary and valuable for young Chinese consumers. Consistent
with Glossier’s “Skin care first, makeup second” strategy, all respondents surveyed in the
focus group agree that skin care is more important than makeup. The increased awareness
of personal wellness might contribute to these results. Girls believe that clear, healthy, and
ultimately “better” skin is the foundation of a pretty appearance, as there is no need for lots
of makeup if you have silky skin, alike how a person without acne does not need to apply
excess concealer. For all girls in the focus group, the frequency of using skin care products
is three-to-five-times greater than applying makeup products. Even during peak quarantine
restrictions, girls never give up on skin care: it has been the routine of their life. Therefore,
skin care is more necessary for young Chinese consumers. Chinese beauty brands with
mass market share do not publicly portray a sense of skin care importance. Glossier’s brand
positioning caters to younger generations’ preferences and can seize the opportunity to
become the thought leader in the industry. Further, girls choose more established or reliable
brands for skin care while the requirements for beauty products are looser: “cost-effective,
colorful and easy to apply” are among the top requirements for makeup purchases. Thus,
Glossier can first enter the market by promoting a workable and affordable beauty product,
enlarge brand awareness and build-up close relationships with Chinese young beauty lovers,
44
and then penetrate into the skin care category utilizing the “Skin care first, and makeup
second” strategy.
• Clean beauty. Along with the escalated awareness of personal wellness, more and more
beauty lovers pay attention to their beloved products’ ingredients. Four women surveyed
within the focus group admitted they were concerned about the ingredients of their beauty
products. One participant said she desired to learn more about the components and the
associated functions, but it was too demanding to expect her to figure out and remember
the complicated terms herself. Another subject admitted it was more convincing for her if
influencers included the ingredient analysis in their social media advertisements. Thus,
influenced by the beauty trend or by product promotion, people are gradually building-up
awareness towards beauty products’ ingredients. Consumers expect, now more than ever,
that beauty ingredients are natural, clean, nontoxic and functional. All products of Glossier
are cruelty free and made from natural, mostly vegan ingredients. Glossier should take
advantage of this product benefit and highlight the importance of clean beauty for personal
wellness.
• Product quality predominates purchasing decisions. Product quality has not been
limited to product formulations. Present day, the phenomenon has expanded to the scent,
ingredients, packaging and price, otherwise considered as the overall product design,
according to respondents. Focus group participants indicated that they would pay more
attention to the products instead of trendy marketing strategies moving forward. Whether
the scent is comfortable or induces special feelings like nobility, the ingredients are natural
and clean, the packaging is attractive, and the price is reasonable and affordable are all
considerations girls rationalize before making their final purchasing decisions. Glossier
45
should take all these elements into consideration before introducing its brand and products
into the Chinese market.
Marketing strategy
• Peer recommendations exert more decisive impact on purchasing behaviors than do
celebrity & influencer endorsements. Celebrity and Influencer endorsements have been
commonly incorporated into the integrated marketing plan and regarded as a beneficial
approach to escalate the conversion rate. However, according to the focus group results,
younger generations trust celebrities and influencers less than peers, including friends or
even ordinary strangers. Admittedly, they will turn to celebrities and influencers to learn
about new beauty trends. Regardless, it is peer recommendations that motivate younger
generations to buy certain products since they have no financial relationship with the brand.
One participant shared that if the influencer recommended the BPC products, she was 60
percent likely to try them. Nevertheless, the likelihood could rise to 85 percent if the
recommendation came from her friends. Moreover, another explanation the surveyed girls
offered was that peers shared the similar skin problems they had, while celebrities and
influencers always appeared to lack any imperfections. Therefore, beauty products work
well with celebrities & influencers might not be applicable to ordinary people who are
struggling with skin problems, such as acne, dark circles and wrinkles. Glossier should not
only consider featuring macro (100K-1M followers) influencers in its promotion plan but
should also consider the nano influencers (1K-10K followers) as well.
• Young generations are loyal consumers. Four women surveyed said they were unwilling
to constantly change the beauty and personal products they use, since they considered
researching products and trying new ones to be time consuming tasks. Another two
46
participants showed interest in trying new brands if the brands had quality products and
proved to have a positive reputation, even if it is nationally or globally unestablished. This
generally speaks to the idea that a newly introduced brand like Glossier still has the
opportunity to win over the market. The current younger buying generations are very
brand-loyal, and once a brand is able to attract new consumers, they will be less likely to
switch to other brands. In this way, Glossier can secure a loyal consumer base and closely
engage them through loyalty programs.
• Localization strategy. When asked to give recommendations on a global brand that desires
to enter the Chinese market, two participants mentioned building a localization strategy.
Here, this would entail nominating the local celebrities as spokespeople and positioning
the products based on Chinese consumers’ needs. Additionally, it was suggested to also
include similar strategies according to real-market performance. Localization is widely
adopted in general global expansion plans. It is beneficial in impressing local consumers
and making people feel familiar with the brand. Glossier should develop a marketing plan
based on a strategic localization strategy.
• High-tech applications in the beauty industry. In addition to the AI/AR technology used
in beauty products to enhance experiences for consumers and offer convenience,
livestreaming e-commerce has become the most popular and rewarding promotion
approach in the online retail industry, especially during quarantine. In 2019, the
livestreaming industry tripled its gross merchandise value to $62.1 billion compared to the
preceding year (Casey Hall, 2020). Almost all luxury brands have made a splash with
different levels of success through livestreaming e-commerce. One woman in the focus
group also recommended Glossier to try livestreaming to reach out to an extensive
47
consumer base and boost sales. During livestreaming, the host will be directed to display
the products and even apply them during the duration of the video. Additionally, consumers
can both benefit from the personal connection made by the spokesperson and directly buy
the products in the livestreaming platform, which typically features special discounts.
VIII. Communications Goal(s)
• To introduce Glossier into the Chinese market and impress Chinese consumers
through democratic natural beauty. The primary communication goal for the campaign
is expanding Glossier into the Chinese market and escalating the brand awareness among
Chinese beauty consumers. Aiming to impress younger generations, I suggest that Glossier
use this campaign to make evolutionary changes in the beauty market, since the traditional
one defines beauty by professional standards and makes consumers cover themselves up
to pretend to be someone else.
• To promote the flagship product that encompasses Glossier’s brand mission and
creates an identifier for the brand. Instead of overwhelming the new market with all
products and making consumers feel disconnected, positioning a single flagship product
that represents the brand’s value and mission as the identifier of the brand is easier for
consumers to recognize and remember Glossier.
IX. Communications Objectives
• Attain 100 million social impressions on Chinese social media platforms such as
Weibo, RED, TikTok, WeChat and Bilibili
3
.
3
Bilibili is a Chinese video sharing website, similar to YouTube. But it can add the overlaid commentary on videos, featuring a
scrolling commenting system nicknamed "bullet curtain."
48
Social impressions directly reflect whether the target audience and the general public are
interested in Glossier, the campaign and the new beauty industry approach. Moreover, the
comments and posts create a valuable database for Glossier to gain consumer insights.
• 85 percent of earned social impressions express positive or at least neutral tone
towards the campaign/ Glossier’s Perfect Skin Tint foundation/Glossier.
Content analysis and sentiment analysis are vital in accurately analyzing consumers’
emotional attitudes and assessing whether the product or the brand has secured widespread
acceptance in the new market. The sentiment polarity and intensity are two valuable
indexes in visualizing the customers’ preferences.
• Generate over 250 article mentions in local newspapers, magazines, blogs, WeChat
subscription accounts with 85 percent positive sentiments.
Glossier desires to generate media mentions with positive sentiment among the local media
to measure the success of the campaign communications.
X. Target Audiences
- Consumers
Millennials/Gen Z beauty lovers. Younger generations are more inclusive towards newly
developed brands and are keen on chasing beauty and fashion trends. As the direct interest
group, their insights and preferences are critical for Glossier to develop a cult following and
gain sustainable development in the new market.
Clean beauty advocates. They are the open-minded and avant-garde beauty users who
welcome rewarding changes upon the beauty industry. After impressing them with “cruelty-
49
free” products made from “natural ingredients,” Glossier can convince them to join in the
natural beauty movement.
People who care about personal wellness. These consumers are concerned about personal
wellness and prioritize personal health. They may accept the notion of minimizing makeup
products applied on the face and restoring and keeping skin healthy.
- Influencers/Media
Celebrities & Influencers. Celebrities who are active on social media with a considerable
loyal fan base can fuel interest in Glossier initially. Insightful influencers who have thousands
or millions of followers are helpful in shaping public opinions in this specific section, beauty
and fashion.
Makeup artists. The professional voice in the industry who shape the future of beauty trends.
They strive for the betterment of the overall industry.
Beauty/fashion/lifestyle media. Influential media with a distinguishable focus are able to
connect with target audiences directly. Because of their media equity and relevance, they can
spark heated discussion over the brand and campaign as well as garner extensive attention.
- Internal and Government/Regulatory
Current and prospective employees. A group of passionate, creative, intelligent people who
agree with Glosser’s brand value, love the beauty and lifestyle industry, and aim to make some
changes to the industry.
Government and related organizations. Regional and national government departments or
related organizations which have the authority to regulate the cosmetics industry as well as e-
commerce operations.
- Investors
50
Investors. The loyal supportive force that firmly believe Glossier’s value, brand positioning,
marketing plan and business model, and trust the potential of the Chinese beauty market.
XI. Current Audience Brand Perception
Among the new adopters and international students who have access to Glossier in other
countries, Glossier is regarded as a savvy cult beauty brand which is popular on social media
and has natural beauty products with attractive pink packaging.
XII. Desired Audience Brand Perception
Glossier is not just a beauty brand, but a new beauty approach or even a life attitude advocate.
The goal is to free Chinese consumers from the fetters of traditional beauty and encourage
them to appreciate their natural beauty. When people think of progressive beauty brands,
they should immediately think of Glossier.
XIII. Key Message Mapping
• Single-minded message:
Up to this point, Glossier hasn’t expanded into the Chinese market. The “ 不再假‘ 妆’”
campaign aims to introduce Glossier into the new market and cultivate it as a cult brand
among younger Chinese beauty lovers. It will launch with the ultra-thin, good coverage
and healthy natural foundation, and promote the evolutional democratic natural beauty
ideal. Glossier inspires young consumers to appreciate their natural beauty instead of
covering themselves up with heavy makeup and conforming to unfair beauty standards.
• Audience-specific messages:
51
- Millennials/Gen Z beauty lovers. Glossier is dedicated to providing clean beauty
products that are fun, easy to use, and make your natural beauty shine. Instead of telling
you the trendiest products, Glossier helps you choose the most appropriate one by
yourself through an online quiz. Consumers’ unfulfilled needs are the inspirations for
developing Glossier’s products. Perfecting Skin Tint Pro, perfectly fulfilling the
Chinese young beauty lovers’ needs, is exactly the example: instead of covering you
up, it adds brilliance to your natural skin.
- Clean beauty advocators. All Glossier products are cruelty-free. Perfecting Skin Tint
Pro foundation is a vegan product that is 100% made from natural ingredients.
- People who care about personal wellness. “Skin care first and makeup second” is the
perception born within Glossier. It highlights the importance of natural beauty and skin
health. Perfecting Skin Tint Pro has no harm to skin even when wearing it for the
whole day. Join us for destructing traditional beauty trends and drive the democratic
natural beauty scene that is more friendly to skin wellness!
- Celebrities & Influencers. Perfecting Skin Tint Pro will thrive in the upcoming
summer months, boasting an ultra-thin texture and long-lasting effects. Glossier will
be the pioneer in the beauty industry for driving democratic natural beauty. Be part of
the deconstruction of traditional beauty, embrace natural beauty and make a difference
by partnering with Glossier.
- Makeup artists. Perfecting Skin Tint Pro is the perfect choice for you to design a
natural nude beauty look and show-off your professional skills.
- Beauty/fashion/lifestyle media. Traditional beauty has guided users to cover
themselves up and pretend to be someone else, leading to a general lack of confidence
52
and damages on skin health. Glossier will dominantly promote democratic natural
beauty and encourage beauty lovers to pay attention to skin wellness and appreciate
natural beauty.
- Government and related organizations. Glossier is dedicated to providing naturally
sourced and manufactured products to consumers and advocating appreciating natural
beauty. Democratic natural beauty is a win-win strategy, unleashing the unexplored
potential of the beauty industry and protecting consumers’ health and rebuilding their
confidence.
- Investors. Glossier will take itself to the next level through expanding into the new
market and revolutionizing the beauty industry.
XIV. Strategies
• Programmatic
Glossier will launch a series of activities to promote the foundation Perfecting Skin
Tint Pro and build brand awareness via paid media, earned media, shared media
and owned media.
Perfectly matching the Chinese young beauty consumers’ unfulfilled requirements
towards foundation, Perfecting Skin Tint Pro is made from natural ingredients, is
designed to be ultra-thin for skin to breathe, is long-lasting without harm, and provides
good covering for pores all while highlighting natural beauty at the same time. Central
to launch the flagship product, the “ 不再假‘ 妆’”
4
campaign incorporates the brand
4
The campaign name uses the homophone. It replaces the last word in the idiom “ 不再假装”,which originally means “not to
pretend,” with “ 妆” , which means makeup. It indicates that don’t cover yourself up with heavy makeup to pretend anyone else,
but appreciate your own natural beauty, aligning with Glossier’s “No-makeup makeup” strategy.
53
mission and promotes new democratic natural beauty through various events. These
activities will include a local spokesperson nomination, a product launch, a cross-
marketing plan with local brands, building pop-ups in major developed cities,
livestreaming activities, panel discussions and a content seeding plan featuring
influencers.
• Thematic
Glossier desires to introduce a new democratic natural beauty approach into the
Chinese beauty industry and encourage consumers to appreciate themselves.
Catering to the unsatisfied consumer needs and incorporating the brand mission,
Glossier unveils a special foundation that adds brilliance to individual’s natural beauty.
In addition to product innovation, Glossier aims to free consumers from the traditional
top-down beauty standard and define beauty by consumers themselves, instead of them
pretending to be anyone else. Further, Glossier underlines the significance of skin
wellness and encourages a life attitude that accepts and appreciates the individual,
something everyone can relate to and benefit from.
• Timing
April 2021 to December 2021
This is a proposed nine-month campaign that starts two months prior to local celebrity
Nana Ouyang’s birthday, June 15
th
. It will announce Nana as Glossier’s spokesperson
in China (see below) and launch the flagship product, Perfecting Skin Tint Pro. The
idea here is that people need ultra-thin and long-lasting foundation during the
summertime when the weather is extremely hot and sweat can easily mess up makeup.
54
Following events including the cross-marketing plan and pop-up launches,
livestreaming and media relation campaigns will continuously garner public attention.
• Tone
Inspiring, Encompassing, Fun, Progressive
By including the target audience in the digital Glossier community and inspiring them
to join in on beauty revolutions, the campaign aims to inextricably relate Glossier with
a savvy and brave beauty approach: democratic natural beauty.
XV. Tactics
• Paid Media
- Spokesman
Nana Ouyang, a 20-year-old Gen Z actress and musician, will become the
Chinese spokesperson of Glossier. She will unveil the flagship product as the debut of
Glossier in China on her 21
st
birthday concert on June 15
th
, 2021. Nana is popular in
China, especially among Millennials and Gen Z, with 20 million followers on Weibo
and 8 million followers on RED. Being recognized as a savvy fashion lover, she has
incredible influence in shaping the public opinion towards beauty and fashion among
Millennials and Gen Z, specifically as a peer. She mentioned Glossier in one of her live
vlogs in 2018, and Chinese consumers got to know Glossier for the first time. She
broached the conversation regarding Glossier product reviews on RED. Her inspiring,
confident and brave personality perfectly matches Glosser’s brand value.
55
When launching the Perfecting Skin Tint Pro foundation (Nickname: 小奶瓶
5
-
“little milk bottle”), Glossier will adopt a similar strategy used for unveiling its
eyeshadow at the Grammy Awards. Through publishing a teaser post on owned social
media with a silhouette photo of Nana Ouyang, Glossier will engage consumers
guessing who will become the designated spokesperson and what product she will
choose. Consumers can find the right answer in Nana’s live vlog, which will review
her birthday concert preparation and include a close-up look at, and an elaboration on
the Perfecting Skin Tint Pro. Glossier’s official accounts will repost the video. The first
50 talents who guess the correct answer and comment on Glossier’s official account
can win a sample gift of the Perfecting Skin Tint Pro foundation. Armed with Nana
Ouyang’s influence and fan base in China, Glossier will impress Chinese consumers
with non-traditional products, a democratic beauty approach and marketing events.
- Influencers (1%-9%-90%)
The 1:9:90 model of influencers is widely used in the integrated marketing
strategy to segment the market and precisely address the content. Glossier will include
1 top influencer who can shape the industry trend (nominating Pony or Geping Mao),
four-to-five macro-influencers who are proficient in using social media to promote new
brands (nominating Kakakaoo, Chara Fang, Qiuqiu, YZNN, Wocanayi), and 45 micro-
influencers on Weibo, RED and Bilibili. Through the nine-month campaign, these
5
Giving an easily remembered nickname for the beauty products coming from global brands with long complicated English names
is a prevalent approach in the beauty industry. For example, the Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex
from Estée Lauder is known as “ 小棕瓶”(little brown bottle), and “ 小黑瓶” (little black bottle )is the nickname of Lancóme
Advanced Génifique Face Serum.“ 小奶瓶”means little milk bottle, depicting the shape of the foundation bottle and indicating the
milky skin after applying the foundation.
56
influencers will aid in the promotion of brand products, while developing a new
democratic natural beauty approach and enlarging brand influence.
- Digital Advertisements
Create a series of five-second, 15-second and 30-second video advertisements
and posters featuring a designated spokesperson and products. These five-second shots
will be played whenever users open social media (Weibo and RED). Other materials
will be posted on social media accounts including Weibo, RED, TikTok, Bilibili,
WeChat, Instagram and YouTube, promoting Glossier and the Perfecting Skin Tint Pro
foundation.
- Livestreaming Channel
Introduce Glossier and the Perfecting Skin Tint Pro foundation in livestreaming
channels to escalate brand awareness and boost sales. The most famous and magical
livestreaming channels are hosted by Weiya and Jiaqi Li, hitting 10 billion and 9.2
billion sales on the first day of Taobao 11.11 Online Shopping Festival,
6
respectively.
• Earned Media
Impress local prestige media in the beauty and fashion industry including
Vogue, Elle, 时尚芭莎, 时尚Cosmo, 嘉人 and WeChat subscription accounts such as
gogoboi, 女神进化论, 美妆侦探, 初小果, and create three rounds of media coverage
and social discussion related to the “ 不再假‘ 妆’” campaign.
6
Taobao 11.11 Online Shopping Festival is an online promotion event, similar to Black Friday.
57
The first round focuses on the spokesperson nomination and Glossier’s official
debut and the launch of the Perfecting Skin Tint Pro (Nickname: 小奶瓶-“little milk
bottle”), attracting public attention to the newly introduced beauty brand. The second-
round places more emphasis on cross-marketing events with the most renowned co-
branding player, HeyTea
7
, highlighting that Glossier and HeyTea sincerely care about
the public’s personal wellness. Finally, the third-round sheds light on the panel
discussion Glossier will host for promoting a new democratic natural beauty approach
and shaping Glossier as the thought leader in the beauty industry, getting across the
importance of accepting and appreciating personal beauty.
• Shared Media
- Weibo and RED Hashtag Usage # 会 呼吸的脸# (breathable face)
Transformed from the well-known lyric, Glossier will create a #会呼吸的 脸
(#breathable face) hashtag on public social media platforms Weibo and RED. In
addition to the promotion of influencers who will use the foundation and post a review
video, text or vlog on social media with the hashtag, Glossier will encourage consumers
to post their authentic user experience including the hashtag. This collection is
beneficial in inextricably associating Glossier with healthy, breathable foundation and
beauty products, as well as gleaning valuable consumer insights for Glossier to adjust
product and marketing strategies.
7
HeyTea is the most popular Chinese tea drink brand and has cooperated with lots of established beauty and personal brands in
China including Kiehl’s, Fenty Beauty, Dove, etc.
58
- Audience Engagement
Glossier will enthusiastically interact with the audience under the hashtag and
the posts on official accounts. Moreover, it is also advised that Glossier gives away
foundation samples through randomly choosing the lucky participants in the comment
or repost section of their owned media channels. Through these actions, Glossier is able
to greatly escalate its social media presence and raise brand awareness. At the same
time, a digital community with close and reliable relationships can be established
through active interactions.
• Owned Media
- Official E-commerce Page
The most significant difference between Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao
and Amazon is that every brand has its own online flagship store and exclusively
displays its own products on Taobao. Here, store design, product elaboration and
promotion strategy can be flexibly adjusted based on the brand’s equity. Glossier will
make full use of headline and home page designs to cooperatively announce the
spokesperson and the newly launched foundation. At the same time, the notion of new
democratic natural beauty can be introduced and elaborated on in the product
description section.
- Official Social Media: Weibo, RED, TikTok, WeChat, Instagram @Glossier and
YouTube @Glossier.
Glossier needs to establish followers from scratch in China, regardless of
currently fostering over 2 million followers on Instagram. Throughout the whole
59
campaign, from nominating a spokesperson and launching the Perfecting Skin Tint Pro
(Nickname: 小奶瓶-“little milk bottle”), to hosting the panel discussion and supporting
new democratic natural beauty, Glossier will take full advantage of social media to
precede and kick-off events. This is helpful in building-up brand awareness through
maintaining dynamic dialogue with a broad audience.
- Spokesperson’s Social Media
Nana Ouyang will collaborate with Glossier and publish several posts including
the new product launch and the new democratic natural beauty approach promotion.
Considering her broad fan base and pre-existing solid relationships, her posts will exert
extensive influence among and beyond the fan community and spark social discussion.
- Co-branding partners’ Social Media
HeyTea has 750K followers on Weibo and 250K followers on RED, and it is
recognized as a savvy marketer in the integrated marketing era. The partnership will
benefit from the active presence of HeyTea on social media and enlarge Glossier’s
influence with the joint effort.
XVI. KPIs - Measurement & Evaluation
• Campaign receives 100 million social impressions on Chinese social media platforms
such as Weibo, RED, TikTok, WeChat and Bilibili.
We will calculate the accumulated interactions including original posts, likes, comments
and reposts on various social media platforms within the campaign execution timeline.
• 85 percent of earned social impressions express positive or at least neutral tone towards
the campaign/ Glossier’s Perfect Skin Tint foundation/Glossier.
60
We will perform both content and sentiment analysis towards original posts and comment
sections. Sentiment polarity (negative/positive) and sentiment intensity will be included as
measurements to visualize the analysis.
• Generate over 250 articles mentions in local newspapers, magazines, WeChat
subscription accounts with 85 percent positive sentiment.
We will conduct content analysis for new articles throughout the campaign timeline and
provide a content analysis sample for detailed evaluation.
XVII. TIMELINE
Pre-campaign
(April 2021-May 2021)
Launch + Climax
(June 2021-Aug. 2021)
Sustaining
(Sept. 2021- Dec. 2021)
April:
Connecting with Nana
Ouyang and HeyTea and
identifying collaborated
influencers
June:
Spokesperson nomination,
product launch, media
campaign incorporating
influencers
September:
Hosting panel discussion
and promoting new beauty
approach
May:
Finalizing the supply chain
and the design on E-
commerce platform: Taobao
July:
Co-branding with HeyTea
October:
Continued Media/Influencer
Relations
August:
Building-up pop-ups in
major cities
November & December:
Participating the Taobao
11.11 Online Shopping
Festival
61
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Appendix – Focus Group Transcript
Vella: Hi guys! I’m Vella, the moderator today and glad to see you guys in this special way. First
of all, I wanna thank you all for being here during this crazy time and greatly appreciate your time
and input.
So before I have you introduce yourselves, I’m going to do a little bit of housekeeping. So please
make sure that your phones are off for this discussion. I am going to be audio recording this. This
recording won’t be shared with anyone outside our zoom room. Do you guys consent to that?
[Nods] So there's no correct answers, I just want your open and honest opinions. We are just going
to be discussing the information and attitudes about beauty and personal care products amongst
young people. And I will use the results of this discussion to generate a regional marketing plan
for my thesis “client”.
So just introduce yourselves and we’ll begin. Let’s start from Rosemary.
[Softly, Various voices]:
Rosemary: Hi everyone, I am Rosemary.
Ivy: Hi, I am Ivy.
Vivian: Hi, I am Vivian.
Hazel: Hi guys, this is Hazel.
Iris: This is Iris, glad to meet you all.
Madalena: Hi everyone, my name is Madalena.
Tiana: Hello, I am Tiana.
70
Vella: Thanks for coming guys. Ok. Let’s begin. How often do you guys use the beauty and
personal care products?
Rosemary: Almost every day. I will say six days a week.
Madalena: Same, every day.
Vivian: I will do the skin care twice a day. For the makeup, less, like five times a week.
Iris: Twice a day for skin care. Beauty is random.
Ivy: For skin care, I would do twice a day. And I do the makeup every day since I have to work.
Tiana: Me too.
Hazel: I use the skin care products every day and only do the makeup when I need to attend the
important events.
Vella: And what are your favorite beauty and personal care brands? Or I would say what brands
do you guys use now?
Rosemary: Okay. Let’s do cosmetics first. My top one is Anastasia. I really like their brow
products. And the second one… Nars. And the third one would be Charlotte Tilbury. For skin care,
SK2. What else? Cause I don’t really use much skin care. Right now I am only using facewash.
Does Muji count? It’s not like a cosmetic brand but I am using their products.
Vella: OK.
Vivian: Curel is my favorite recently. I love the cream so much. The second would be Lancôme.
And then the Perfect Diary. I bought their eyeshadow days ago. It’s amazing.
Iris: Mine is La mer, 3CE and Romand.
Ivy: For me, Clarins, Dior and maybe Origins.
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Tiana: Sanyueli, Ren, Natasha.
Vella: How about you guys, Hazel and Madalena?
Hazel: Decorté, Estée Lauder and Armani.
Madalena: Same with Hazel.
Vella: Why do you guys love these brands? You know there are so many choices available in the
market and what made you purchase and use them?
Vivian: Curel’s cream saves my dry skin in winter. It’s not oily but super moisturizing. I used the
serum from Lancôme. My sister recommended that to me. She said it was an anti-aging one and
the texture is easy to be absorbed into your skin. I tried a bit at her home and fell in love with it.
So I bought one on Taobao during the 11/11 celebration day. Perfect Diary is cost-effective,
friendly to the group who haven’t had a full-time job, like me.
[Lots of nods]
Madalena: My answer is simple. The online feedback of these brands is positive.
Iris: La mer, you know, the luxury beauty. I really love the scent. It gives you the sense of nobility.
[Laugh] I am using the moisturizing cream and the treatment lotion and have to admit they are
pretty helpful when my skin is sensitive. For the cosmetics, I prefer the cost-effective ones, like
3CE and Romand. Fashion trends and my preferences are always changing, and cosmetic products
won’t directly apply to my skin. So I would choose products that have a good quality with
relatively cheap prices.
Hazel: I don’t know a lot about the beauty and personal care thing. I always seek my friends’ help
and they would give some recommendations according to my skin type and skin problems.
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Rosemary: For cosmetics, they are really easy to use, and especially for Charlotte Tilbury, I really
like their lip colors. For skin care, I choose these brands because of my skin type.
Vella: What about you, Tiana? I have never heard the Sanyuanli and Ren before.
Tiana: Hahaha, I love to try new things. Sanyuanli contains natural ingredients and is friendly to
sensitive skin, like me. I love Ren’s scent. Natasha’s eyeshadow is colorful and has good quality.
Vella: I really don’t know you like these brands before and can’t wait to try them. So will you guys
do the research before purchasing the beauty and personal care products?
If so, how do you get the related information?
Ivy: Yes, I will. Bilibili
8
and Weibo
9
. I follow several beauty influencers, and they would post the
videos or review on these platforms.
Tiana: I will learn from friends, Weibo and RED
10
. I would see the real-time feedback posted by
ordinary people on Weibo, that would be more convincing than KOL’s recommendations.
Rosemary: Yea, I often watch review videos on YouTube or RED. But I would say I only take
their words for 50%, and the other 50% comes from my own experience. I will also go to stores
and ask the beauty advisors there cuz I feel like they have more knowledge than myself. I have
many experiences when I went to Sephora and I just ask the beauty advisors there. They would
offer me recommendations.
Vella: Is it helpful?
Rosemary: Not always. I would say like 60% (is helpful), from my own experience.
8
Bilibili is a Chinese video sharing website, similar to YouTube. But it can add the overlaid commentary on videos, featuring a
scrolling commenting system nicknamed "bullet curtain."
9
Weibo is a Chinese microblogging website, similar to Instagram.
10
RED is a social media and e-commerce platform allowing users to post and share product reviews, travel blogs and lifestyle
stories via short videos and photos. 70% of the users are Gen Z, and 80% of the users are females.
73
Hazel: When I in New York, I would turn to beauty advisors for help in Sephora, like Rosemary
said. But in China, there aren’t so many Sephora here. So I would turn to my friends. The only
thing I would search about is the facewash, because I am always puzzled by my acne problem. I
would search like the “facewash testing/facewash acne” on Weibo.
Vella: How about you, Vivian? I know you are an expert.
Vivian: Haha, yea, definitely I would do the research cuz I don’t want to waste my money. Let
me be more specific. First, I would turn to social media. For example, if I wanna buy a serum, I
would watch KOLs’ test or review video first, and then turn to RED to see more using experience
shared by ordinary people. You know the beauty influencers always have a good skin condition,
not applicable to everyone, and I should hear someone who have the similar skin problem or skin
type with me. Second, friends’ recommendation. I think I am easily influenced and convinced by
my friends. If my best friend told me the eye cream that she recently bought was amazing, I would
100% try that and buy it in the end. Third, e-commerce platform like Taobao also offer a lot of
information. Because you know Taobao has the personalized recommendation column at the main
page, and they will advertise the products based on your purchasing preferences. If that interests
me or I think I might use that recently, I will click the link and learn more.
Iris: Of course. I would search the brands or products on RED, Weibo and TikTok.
Madalena: Always from RED or my friends. But I had a ridiculous experience. Do you guys know
the foundation of Estee Lauder called Double Wear? [Lots of nods] It was a time that every KOL
on RED I followed recommended this foundation and boasted it as the “must-have foundation for
oil skin”. I was convinced and bought a new one. Do you guys know what happened? It completely
dried out on my face before spreading it. [Loud laugh] It literally sucks. So I have been more
careful towards the recommendations of KOLs. And also for the expensive products, like the
74
serum or the foundation, I would test it before I using it. Normally, I would borrow from my friends,
if she recommends the product, or I would try it at stores.
Vivian: Agree. And I do love the testers, but not many brands sell testers.
Vella: So if brands sell the testers or the samples, would you guys like to buy them?
Iris: Of course, if the price is reasonable.
Vella: How about you guys?
Tiana: I will, especially for the expensive products like fragrance, serum or foundation. I don’t
want to waste money.
Rosemary: Me too.
Vella: So among the resources you mentions before, which one would mostly influence your
purchasing decision?
Vivian: Weibo.
Iris: It depends. For the Chinese brands, I would trust TikTok more. For the expensive global
brands, I rely on RED.
Hazel: My friends’ words. They are not paid by the brands and they know my skin type and
problems.
Madalena: I think friends’ recommendation might greatly influence my decision
Vella: Would you guys always change your beauty or personal care products? Or sticking to ones
really suit you?
Rosemary: I think, first, it largely depends on the season, especially for the skin care. Because in
winter and fall, your skin gets a little bit dry. I would switch to different products. But those are
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generally the products I have used before. I don’t try on new products very often, because you
know I am too lazy to do the research. [chuckle]
Madalena: Same. Doing the research is annoying and costs a lot of time. And I am not a risk taker.
Hazel: Same situation.
Vivian: I would always change. Gemini love changes and new things, joke! [Laugh] It doesn’t
mean the products I used are not good. I just wanna try something maybe better, or more suitable
for me.
Iris: I won’t change that much for skin care, but I would love to try many new cosmetic products.
Tiana: Yes, I love to try new brands and things.
Vella: Do you guys prefer the well-known brands or the newly developed brands? Or put it easier,
would you give it a try if this is a small new brand?
Iris: Yes, I do. I recently tried a thriving US brand, Glossier. Do you guys know that?
Vella: OMG! This is my topic!
Iris: Oh, really?!
Vella: Yea, you got me. It’s incredible. You should be my thesis advisor.
[Laugh]
Iris: Anyway. I just want to say this brand is so cool. I learned the brand first time on IG and Nana
Ouyang used Glossier’s product in her vlog later. I was impressed by their minimalist-style
package and the testing videos. Simple, direct and clean. I also visited their store when I traveled
to New York city and tried the products. They are easy to use and affordable for me.
Rosemary: I think I would care more about their product line, no matter it is a well-known
established brand or a new one.
76
Vivian: Definitely! Especially for the new brands that recommended or mentioned by influencers
on Weibo, I would love to try them, like 60%. And my friends recommended the unestablished
brands, it would be more convincing, like 85%.
Tiana: If affordable, I will try.
Ivy: I would love to try them if they have lovely package.
Vella: Really?
Ivy: Yes. Last time, I saw my friend using a serum looking like a milk bottle. OMG! It is super
cute. So I bought one though I never heard the brand before.
Vella: What factors would prompt you to learn more about the brands or the products?
Rosemary: First is the branding cuz branding leaves the first impression. If I have a really good
first impression of this brand, I will try no matter their products really fit me or not. And I also
really care about the source. If brands really focus on advertising the source of the products, I
would give it a try. I don’t really trust reviews that much. It can be a really good product for you,
but not for someone else.
Tiana: KOLs’ recommendation, friends’ suggestions, and the interesting advertisements would
attract my attention.
Vella: And do you care about the ingredients of the products?
Rosemary: I do, because I have acne. So like the product containing alcohol, I don’t like it.
Vivian: I don’t care.
Hazel: I want to but it’s too hard for me, you know. I can barely remember the complex terms.
[Chuckle]
77
Ivy: Same. But if the beauty influencers back the narration with the ingredients analysis, I would
think it be more convincing.
Iris: I will more focus on the functional ingredients. People love the whitening essence that
contains niacinamide, but my skin is really sensitive to that ingredient. So I won’t choose the
products containing niacinamide.
Madalena: Yes, I prefer natural ingredients. That’s why I choose Decorté.
Vella: If you are only able to keep three beauty and personal care products, which would be your
choices?
Vivian: Balm, foundation and lipsticks.
Hazel: Facewash, lotion, eyebrow pencil.
Iris: Lipsticks and eyeshadow.
Vella: No skin care?
Iris: If I don’t wash my face, I don’t need anything.
[Laugh]
Madalena: I would choose serum, sunscreen cream and foundation.
Vella: How about you, Ivy?
Ivy: Lotion, foundation and lipsticks, I think.
Tiana: Sunscreen cream, serum and foundation. I need foundation to make me look good.
Rosemary: Mine would be foundation and concealer, for my acne. And also serum.
Vella: Got you. From your own experience, which one do you think is more important, the skin
care or the makeup?
78
Rosemary: Skin care. You know I only started to do the makeup because I want to cover my acne.
If I have a better skin condition, no makeup. I don’t like makeup. I feel like put it on is fine, and
also learning how to do makeup is the skill I hope people can master. But I also believe it’s not
really for skin, and taking it off just takes too much time. When you are really tired, you don’t
want to wash it off, but you have to.
Madalena: Definitely skin care. Like Rosemary said, only if you have a good skin, the makeup
can make you more beautiful. And I always believe the better you skin is, the less makeup you
need and the prettier you are.
Vivian: Agree. Nowadays, nude look tutorial is popular on RED and Weibo. Instead of covering
your acne with lots of layers of foundation or concealer, experts now recommend using the
foundation that is thin, moisturizing, long-lasting and have excellent concealing power.
Tiana: Skin care. If you don’t have a good skin, you can’t do the makeup, literally.
Vella: Are there any changes happen on your skin care or the makeup habit during the quarantine?
Rosemary: During quarantine, I don’t do makeup at all because I wear face mask. There is no
need for me to wear makeup. For me, the purpose of doing the makeup is only to cover my acne.
Masks do the same thing, so I don’t need makeup. For skin care, since I wear masks all day, I
would minimize the products I use. I even don’t use the sun cream that much since I don’t go out.
Vivian: I nearly do the makeup during the quarantine because I stay at home all the time, like once
or twice a month, I guess. For the skin care, nothing special. But I do use less face masks.
Iris: I have to admit I became so lazy during quarantine. I even don’t wash my face.
Madalena: Me too! I feel I don’t need to do that if I don’t go out or meet friends. And I only do
the makeup when I have formal online meetings, like once or twice a month.
79
Hazel: Agree. I used to do the skin care twice a day, but now only once a day. I feel like I don’t
need to wash my face since I don’t go out and there is no need for social activities.
Ivy: Same for me. I don’t do a lot skin care and makeup during quarantine. I only wash my face.
[Laugh]
Vella: Awesome! Do you guys still have some unfulfilled needs towards the beauty and personal
care products?
Hazel: A magic acne treatment. Whenever I apply that, my acne can be disappeared.
Rosemary: Please tell me if one day that kind of product comes out.
[Chuckle]
Vivian: I do want a special foundation. It should be composed of two parts, like the left side is
suitable for dry skin and the right side is designed for oil skin. You know actually my face can’t
be merely defined as the oil or dry skin type. Somewhere is oily and somewhere is dry. So the
ordinary foundation can’t fulfill my needs.
Iris: Same foundation, but I have different requirements. It should be ultra-thin so my skin can
“breathe”, but still can cover my acne marks.
Rosemary: And also long-lasting. It is super annoying when you take half hour in the morning
and get a sleek look, but everything gets messed up when you get off the subway and take off your
masks.
Iris: Exactly! I hate to wear foundation when masks-on but I have to since it helps me look good.
Vella: Make sense. How about you, Tiana.
Tiana: I want an auto machine to wash off my makeup.
[Loud laugh]
80
Vella: Why?
Tiana: I think it’s too tired to do that, especially after an exhausted day.
Madalena: I need products with good qualities but affordable prices.
Iris: Try the Korean brands, 3CE and Romand. They are amazing!
Madalena: Haha, thanks. I will.
Vella: What’s your suggestions for a US brand that wants to expand into the Chinese market?
Rosemary: Localization, for both the products and the marketing strategy. For example, if they
use models from other races, like non-Chinese models, I don’t think that would be a great approach
to the Chinese market. Right now there are a lot of Chinese brands rising really quickly and they
are targeting directly to the Chinese market through using Chinese celebrities in ads. I think if a
US brand would do that, it would largely attract consumers to buy their products. It’s a good way
to approach to Chinese audience.
Hazel: Agree. For the products, actually Asian girls’ skin types or complexions are different from
the Westerns’. So brands need to do the research ahead and make some adjustment accordingly.
Further, live streaming shopping is thriving these years. It might be a good way. Also consider
about the CSR thing, you know. Younger generation care about that.
Ivy: Livestreaming is a great idea. And also cooperating with the beauty influencers on Weibo or
RED can garner lots of attention in a short time.
Vella: Good idea. What do you guys think?
Vivian: I think the product is the most important. It should be easy to use. The marketing thing
like using a Chinese celebrity as the spokesman or the online social campaigns are not likely to
81
make me purchase the products. If this is an unestablished brand in China, I would wait for others’
feedback and decide whether it is worthwhile to try.
Iris: Pop-up is a really efficient way to garner attention. The well-designed and creative pop-up
store can attract people to visit and take photos. Combined with the engaging social media
campaigns, people can post the photos they take at pop-up stores and let the consumers who are
unable to come to the site know the brand. And also, the brand positioning is important, especially
when setting their price. Brand should figure out the target audience first and adjust the price
according to their purchasing capabilities.
Vella: Got you! Thanks so much for your guys’ time today. And I greatly appreciate the excellent
ideas you guys shared with me. I will deliver the sample hand cream to you tomorrow. Hope you
love it. And, wish you all a sound night, and please, please stay healthy and happy.
Abstract (if available)
Abstract
The Beauty and Personal Care industry has rapidly developed over the past few years in terms of sales volume and product varieties. The worldwide pandemic and the lockdown policy detrimentally hit the industry. The closure of retail stores leads to plummeting sales, and the shelter at-home regulation results in the shrunk demand of beauty and personal care products. However, there are emerging opportunities in the Chinese market for the direct-to-consumer brands that are adaptive for online trades. The purpose of this thesis was to generate an efficient and localized regional campaign in China based on the SIP model for the newly developed beauty brand, Glossier. To catch up with forthcoming trends, this thesis analyzed the BPC (Beauty and Personal Care) industry’s developments over the past five years and changes during the worldwide pandemic, offering industry insights for the regional campaign. The campaign idea was established from local customers preferences according to the focus group results. The focus group discussion was conducted with seven Chinese females (18-28 years), and content analysis was applied to process results. For better adaptation to the local market, the campaign name was in Mandarin, “不再假‘妆’,” indicating that there was no more need to cover yourself up with complicated makeup to pretend anyone else, but appreciated your own natural beauty. The campaign idea was aligned with Glossier’s “No-makeup makeup” strategy, and aimed to democratize the BPC industry with a series of promotion events.
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Qiu, Rutian (Vella)
(author)
Core Title
Glossier Chinese regional campaign plan
School
Annenberg School for Communication
Degree
Master of Arts
Degree Program
Strategic Public Relations
Publication Date
04/20/2021
Defense Date
04/14/2021
Publisher
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
Tag
beauty and personal care,beauty marketing,Chinese market,Glossier,life after COVID,OAI-PMH Harvest
Language
English
Contributor
Electronically uploaded by the author
(provenance)
Advisor
Floto, Jennifer (
committee chair
), Kim, Su Jung (
committee member
), Lynch, Brenda (
committee member
)
Creator Email
rutianqi@usc.edu,rutianqiu@outlook.com
Permanent Link (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c89-449966
Unique identifier
UC11667455
Identifier
etd-QiuRutianV-9502.pdf (filename),usctheses-c89-449966 (legacy record id)
Legacy Identifier
etd-QiuRutianV-9502.pdf
Dmrecord
449966
Document Type
Thesis
Rights
Qiu, Rutian (Vella)
Type
texts
Source
University of Southern California
(contributing entity),
University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
(collection)
Access Conditions
The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...
Repository Name
University of Southern California Digital Library
Repository Location
USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA
Tags
beauty and personal care
beauty marketing
Glossier
life after COVID