Fenty Beauty: The Marketing Strategy
Fenty Beauty’s allure is undeniable. The brand has yet to lose momentum since its 2017 launch. For over five years, the company has made itself known to the world in two ways: sleek design and Rihanna star power. During that time, billboards, print ads, and especially digital ads have helped to develop that brand’s loyal audience. These marketing channels, along with media buzz, have made Fenty Beauty a frontrunner in the beauty industry.
But what specifically makes the brand shine brighter than the rest? Fenty Beauty’s influence, inclusivity, social responsibility, and user-generated content are the success points a marketing strategy that keeps getting better:
Influence
It’s not a secret: a brand shines brighter with the right star. In Fenty Beauty’s case, Rihanna is the star that made the brand soar to the top.The best part is that she’s more than just a celebrity endorsement—Rihanna is the founder and company soundboard.
Rihanna’s rise to international fame in music was just the start of her stardom. Aside from her 2014 Fenty x Puma line that propelled her into a fashion icon, Rihanna also became the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary for her home country of Barbados. Her image elevated, ultimately leading to the founding of Fenty Beauty, her very own beauty brand. Needless to say, Rihanna’s influence has reach.
Influence: that’s the result of star appeal and the word of the day.
Inclusivity
Fenty Beauty saw a need for inclusivity in the beauty industry and used it to their advantage. Before, notable beauty brands had found comfort in only providing a small selection of foundation shades for customers. While this often met the needs of the majority, Black and brown patrons were looked over and left with few options.
Upon launching, Fenty Beauty came out the gate with 40 different foundation shades ranging from dark to light, quite literally shaking the table in the beauty industry. The brand quickly became the industry leader as a result. And to take inclusivity a step further, Fenty Beauty appeared at Afrochella 2022, expanding its reach to audiences with darker complexions. An entire market of overlooked, darker-skinned patrons continue to flock to Fenty Beauty, along with people who clung to other brands out of scarcity.
Fenty Beauty eliminated scarcity by implementing inclusivity.
Social Responsibility
Fenty Beauty is more than the product—it’s the purpose. Inclusivity is a key component to its success, but social responsibility is one of the brand’s core values. The company doesn’t shy away from letting patrons know of its involvement with global issues and initiatives.
Fenty Beauty works in part with Rihanna’s The Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF) to invest in climate justice in the Caribbean and the United States. This foundation uniquely helps communities prepare for and recover from natural disasters. Fenty Beauty also makes plain what it calls the Earth Conscious Steps, a set of actions for production and distribution in an earth-friendly manner.
Making its intentions known has contributed to transparency with the brand’s audience, allowing relatability to lead the way.
User-Generated Content
Though Fenty Beauty has been leading the way, the brand realizes that it did not get there by itself: the fans pushed things forward on social media. The social media buzz started on YouTube and Instagram as review pages and vlogs scrambled to purchase and rate the new merchandise. This content was then clipped and shared all over Twitter, where the real word-of-mouth began.
The brand quickly realized that content creators were the key to maximum exposure. With this, the team began reaching out to successful creators for permission to post their Fenty Beauty content. While most creators agree for the sake of exposure and fandom, Fenty Beauty receives an additional spotlight without having to create new content, saving them time and money. And while doing so, Fenty Beauty adheres to their own social media ethics guidelines to ensure it stays true to its intentions.
User-generated content is a win-win when consideration and transparency lead the way.
The Fenty Method is successful for a reason. Although Fenty Beauty is a unique brand, its chosen strategy is not exclusive. Now is the time for your brand to consider which of these success points to apply your own marketing strategy. Implementing the concepts of influence, inclusivity, social responsibility, and user-generated content will give your brand the boost it needs to hit the right goals.
