A New Vertical for Glossier
The Challenge
During an intensive 5-week workshop with Ken Carbone, my team and I devised a strategic brand extension for Glossier, the beauty brand, to build on its strong foundation and expand into a new, and possibly unpredictable, line of business.
The Process
First, we researched Glosser, uncovering who they are and what makes them tick. We asked: Who founded the company, and why? What do they believe in? How do they focus their vision and build consensus throughout the company?
Glossier’s mission is to democratize beauty. Emily Weiss founded Glossier on the fact that beauty isn’t made in a boardroom—it happens when the individual is celebrated. Personal choice is the most important decision a brand can never make.
“As I interviewed hundreds of women, I became more and more aware of how flawed the traditional beauty paradigm is. It has historically been an industry based on experts telling you, the customer, what you should or shouldn’t be using on your face.” - Emily Weiss, Glossier's founder and CEO.
Next, we looked at their value proposition, how they simplify this message, how it creates a competitive advantage and why their customers love them for it.
Glossier is people-powered. It values and respects inclusivity and put this into action. Unlike other brands, it does not dictate beauty, but rather creates its products and evolves based on the needs of the consumers. In order to capture changing consumer behaviour, Weiss implemented a direct-to-consumer strategy favouring social media and influencer relationships over traditional marketing. And this approach has led to furious brand loyalty. Weiss says that 70 percent of online sales and traffic comes through peer-to-peer referrals, a number that’s remained constant.
"Inclusivity is really our number one value. We want to inspire, but we also want to be realistic and show beauty in real life." - Emily Weiss
Then, we looked at Glossier’s brand identity system and how it, along with its mission, is reinforced in their, products, services and marketing. Glossier has become known for its tone of voice, fun and approachable vibe both online to in-store, and it’s signature shade of Glossier pink.
Glossier has established itself as a true competitor in the beauty industry. They’ve raised up to $86 million in venture capital, and continue to increase their sales, their number of customers and employees, and their retail footprint.
Which industry could benefit from Glossier’s people-powered approach which has earned them cult-like loyalty?
We will post the complete project following our pitch to Glossier but, in the meantime, reach out to learn what brand extension we proposed!
This project was in collaboration with Josee Nahkle, Miguele Issa, Carina Sandoval, and Jae Young Kim.