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From January 16-18, Benefit Cosmetics flew 10 influencers to its headquarters in San Francisco, putting them up at The Fairmont Hotel. But these weren’t traditional influencers. These were influencers who focus on TikTok Shop.
Benefit, which is owned by LVMH, began to focus on TikTok Shop in July 2023, when it exclusively launched its Fan Fest mascara on the platform. The strategy proved successful: Circana just listed the mascara as the No. 1 prestige makeup launch of 2023, based on sales volume.
In January, Glossy reported that the brand was already on track to see triple-digit sales growth on the platform this year, after selling 87,000 units from March-December in 2023. As of February, the brand is now partnering with over 3,000 TikTok Shop influencers, up from 2,000 in January. The influencers promote Benefit’s products on the platform and receive commission on the sales they make. The influencers are not mandated to post, though they are invited to tag the brand in their posts, and they do not otherwise receive payment from Benefit.
The 10 influencers chosen to attend the trip were not given deliverables. According to Benefit, its intention was simply to build relationships with this new class of influencers that it believes is important to invest in. Of the 10, only two had an existing relationship with Benefit prior to the brand joining TikTok Shop.
“Social commerce is amid a boom,” said Vivianna Blanch, Benefit’s svp of U.S. marketing. “We’ve started to see that the way influencers speak about our products is different and the way they entertain their followers is different. So we wanted to make sure that we could immerse them in the best of Benefit,” Blanch said. After all, she said, the focus for them is “heightening their monetization.”
According to a brand representative, the trip was a “first-to-market test” and consistent with the brand’s history of being an “early adaptor of new platforms.” Examples include the aforementioned launch of Fan Fest on TikTok Shop in advance of the product’s Sephora launch.
“We’re investing in this group of new-to-Benefit creators to see if we can build brand affinity and advocacy in both the short term and the long term,” she said. We want to be a part of these creators’ careers at the onset, versus trying to reach them at their pinnacle.”
Regarding what it takes to be a successful TikTok Shop creator, Taylor Becker (288,000 TikTok followers) — one of the influencers on the trip who was new to the brand — said, “TikTok Shop [content] is successful when you’re posting authentic before-and-afters and real-time results. There are many creators, so [shoppers] can always find someone with their body type or skin tone to help model a specific product.”
TikTok requires its Shop partners who are earning commission to have 5,000 followers. Benefit does not have its own follower threshold, but it does screen applicants rigorously to ensure they’re a cultural fit for the brand, in terms of values and beauty knowledge. “We’re deep-diving,” Blanch said. “We’re looking at their content, we’re looking at their audience, and we’re looking at engagement. We’re treating it the same as we would when vetting any other partner representing the brand.”
But TikTok Shop has also expanded the types of creators the brand works with. “Anyone with the right criteria, based on TikTok’s [rules], can apply to start promoting and tagging our products. … Our team is finding [those interested] are not all beauty creators. So now, for example, we’ll consider a fitness influencer who is really dedicated to their craft and also has authentic [adjacent] content. We could [show up in] her top 10 product picks of the week,” Gillen said.
“As long as they’re staying true to who they are and they create neutral-to-positive content — and they’re not making videos like “the worst products I’ve ever tried” — we’re taking a chance on [new creators],” Gillen said. She noted that these influencers aren’t like established beauty influencers who come in with a “package of stats and other brands they’ve worked with.”
During the trip, the brand “rolled out the pink carpet” for its guests, said Rena Gillen, the brand’s senior director of U.S. marketing communications. To start, they were given time with Maggie Ford Danielson, Benefit’s director of brand outreach and brand ambassadors, who also happens to be the daughter and niece of Benefit’s two sister founders. Those discussions provided a chance for the brand to go into more depth about its products with the guests, providing “more anecdotal, personal touches about the products — small things you can’t get necessarily from a PDP or a box,” Gillen said. They were also given early previews of the brand’s February 6 launches, which allowed them to drum up early excitement. The products included the Precisely, My Brow Tinted Eyebrow Wax and its Precisely, My Brow Detailer Microfine Waterproof Eyebrow Pencil.
During the trip, Ford Danielson hosted a two-hour TikTok Shop live and pulled in many of the guests to be on camera with her. “Most of them participated in [making content]. It wasn’t mandatory — totally voluntary — and just another fun way for them to engage with us and the platform,” Gillen said.
Though the brand declined to comment on sales results from the trip, the representative noted that, “For the first time ever, we’ll be able to see a direct correlation between a trip and the ROI. … Of course, we are also measuring the success in traditional ways, such as posting frequency and mentions.” In terms of post quantity and engagement, the brand was pleased with the results. “Since the guests had no deliverables required to come on the trip, we were super happy to see over 350 posts by the attendees and over 7 million social impressions across Instagram and TikTok since the trip,” Blanch said on February 15. The results speak to the brand’s “relationship-building, the BTS access we’re offering and the deep dive into the brand that we provided,” she said.
For most of the creators, it was their first brand trip. Danielle Elliott (949,000 TikTok followers), who first connected with TikTok through its Brow Search contest, said, “I watched some of my favorite creators grow with Benefit Cosmetics. This was an invite to be recognized for being a top TikTok Shop creator for Benefit — do you know how incredible that is?! I didn’t even have to think twice about my decision. Any chance I get to build a bigger relationship with the team, as well as allow me to grow with the brand, I am going to take,” she said. Benefit products regularly appear in Elliott’s recent TikTok posts. She has posted about the trip, the new brow products and the recent Fan Fest mascara launch in recent weeks.
“That this wasn’t a one-off,” Blanch said. “We will continue to foster special relationships with this group.”
The representative added, “If this trip results in those long-term relationships and ROI from these 10 creators, then there’s no reason we can’t duplicate this model for the rest of 2024 and beyond.”
A big week at Sephora: 3 buzzy brands join the retailer’s roster
This week, Sephora is expanding its brand roster with Dieux, one of the cult-iest skin-care brands to debut in recent years; Soft Services, ditto that, but for clinical body care; and Salt & Stone, a brand with the aesthetics of Byredo but at a much more affordable price point. All three brands will now be exclusive to Sephora, in addition to their own DTC sites.
Dieux was founded in 2020 by Charlotte Palermino (413,000 TikTok followers), Marta Freedman (also founder of “it” girl entities including the gifting-suite company Air Milkshake) and product developer Joyce de Lemos. “I’m a big believer in omnichannel. As a digitally native brand, we were laser-focused for the first four years on building a strong brand identity and community cemented in a product offering that is nuanced, science-based and constantly striving for sustainability,” said Palermino. Now, the company is excited to bring its “accessibly priced clinical skin-care offerings” to Sephora. “It’s a white space at the retailer that we are honored to step into to continue our mission of educating consumers,” she said. The brand’s Instagrammable reusable under-eye patches are $25, while its serum is $69, for example. Earlier this week, its new Instant Angel moisturizer sold out in two sizes on its launch day.
For her part, Rebecca Zhou, founder and CEO of Soft Services, which launched in 2021, is looking forward to introducing a new community of beauty enthusiasts to the brand and reaching Sephora’s large community. “At the core, Soft Services exists to help people who are looking for solutions to their body skin concerns. We do this by delivering results through efficacious products, by providing empowerment through education, and by unlocking joy, esteem and pride by breaking down taboos,” she said, describing the brand’s mission. The brand’s prices range from $28-$44.
Finally, of its launch at the retailer, Salt & Stone founder Nima Jalali said, “Sephora is known for its thoughtful brand curation, and body care is a rapidly growing category. Since 2017, we’ve had an elevated take at an accessible price point.” The brand’s deodorant is $20, while, at the higher end of the brand’s assortment, a body wash is $36, with a large refill available for $56. “This partnership feels like a natural fit and we see so much potential. As a clean, fragrance-forward brand, we know how important it is to experience our products in person,” he said.
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