Two Views: In the beauty business, people sell product
The distinctive skills and personalities of countless individuals working behind the scenes and behind the counter in beauty sell product. The two experts sharing their views with Cosmetics Design here, understand how that works.
Lisa Marie Ringus, Executive Vice President, Global Sales and Business Development at 24 Seven:
“As specialized recruiters to some of the most iconic brands and exciting new entrants in the Beauty industry, we know that matching just the right talent to a company is especially critical for image-driven businesses. Whether at the corporate office or the cosmetics counter, the people are the brand.
“In order to be successful – whether selling, designing packaging, creating product, understanding the consumer – they must live it, breathe it, believe it, preach it, embody it. So to deliver that perfect match, part of our process is to immerse ourselves in the client’s business and culture – this helps us instinctively understand when we have found a new member for the client's tribe. From our perspective, it’s not enough to see a candidate as someone who gets a checkmark on all the job skill boxes. That's just the start. For us, it’s paramount that we understand the soft skills that the company values and believes will help build the business. Additionally, our role is to vet candidates against brand character attributes. This means considering whether a candidate’s personality and internal driving force align with the brand’s mission and vision.
“We know that when passions align, the company gets a brand disciple who is more likely to be engaged, loyal, productive, and successful. At the end of the day, that’s the value added that we bring to the talent equation.”
Alexa Tonner, SVP of Collectively:
“Marketers have always known the value of word-of-mouth marketing–it's considered one of the most powerful purchase drivers. As a channel, influencer marketing is essentially word-of-mouth at scale, a powerful approach that leverages trusted voices to authentically and transparently recommend brands and products to their audience.
“How and why are influencer recommendations so powerful? Their efficacy actually evolves as their audience grows. Endorsements from ‘micro-influencers’ with smaller followings are impactful because those influencers have tight bonds with his/her audience–often followers are real friends, family, and acquaintances, so their recommendations carry real weight. As an influencer's audience size grows, their audience sees their recommendations as coming not just from a friend, but from a trendsetter and respected expert.
“The importance of influencers as advocates is crucial in beauty, since the sheer volume of products and brands can leave a consumer overwhelmed and longing for guidance from a trusted third party.”
