Yes, absolutely. I think many people find out about new releases far more quickly due to social media, especially as more brands give sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes looks at what the brand does. I do think that it can result in some brand or release fatigue, but I see that happen more to those who have been involved in the community for years – and there are always new people coming in.
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I’m not sure how anyone could think otherwise. People are also basically making free advertisements for brands when they post about them on social media.
Absolutely! There are many brands I’d never have heard of but for social media. Sadly, most of them aren’t easily available to me and aren’t “in store” which is my preferred way to shop (and I won’t travel out of my way either to a store nearer to Toronto, largely because I’m so afraid of driving on the “big” highway between here and there). But a few of the brands I’ve purchased and wouldn’t have known of but for social media (and, specifically, Temptalia) are Tarina Tarantino and LORAC (neither of which is available any longer) as well as BITE, Hourglass, Tatcha, MUFE….heard of them here first!
For sure! I think there are a lot of brands that would have never taken off if it weren’t for social media. Think how hard it would have been for some small indie companies to get noticed by big stores and gain traction without instagram, youtube etc. Ulta, Sephora and even Target have been bringing smaller brands into their store now just based on their success they have gotten through promoting themselves on social media.
Absolutely! Without social media, I wouldn’t know about brands such as ColourPop. I also wouldn’t have tried a lot of the brands I see in stores if I hadn’t read about them or watched videos of the products. Before social media, I mostly used MAC and a couple drugstore brands. Now I have products by so many different brands.
(On the other hand, without makeup-related social media I would probably have a lot more money in my savings account!)
For better or for worse; yes it does. We not only get to see what’s about to be released weeks or months in advance, but we get quite familiar with the brand’s owners and the brand’s aesthetic. Unfortunately, this also means that we get way TMI on their personal life, dramas and controversies. I really would rather just have makeup and other beauty product brands go back to just being FUN again w/o so much excess baggage! So. To owners; if you don’t want to have people coming for you, stop putting all your personal crap out there where it doesn’t belong. Learn the meaning of “personal private life” as opposed to your public persona.
Agree wholeheartedly. And some owners really, really, really need to stop seeing themselves as their brand — step out of the light and let your products do the talking. Also, the way-too-far-in-advance “sneak peeks” in black and white need to die. Ridiculous.
Agree! It really drives me crazy when a owner puts something personal out there that’s controversial and divides the customer base, and then gets upset when people don’t agree with their views and labels it as attacks? Like, you put it out there! People are allowed to comment with their opinions, too!
Definitely – I remember growing up and seeing Almay, Cover Girl, Maybelline, L’Oreal and Aziza (anyone remember them?) makeup commercials and Estee Lauder from Broadway or Robinsons (anyone remember them?) advertisements. Back then, it was mainstream TV or magazine or newspapers. It was so fancy. Now, when I see Charlize Theron or Natalie Portman or Kiera Knightley carp-flopping around in a golden pond, lamenting their life of luxury while tossing some crap out of a Parisian window speeding away on a motorcycle road with the perfect evening gown down a road adorned with lillies for some kitschy perfume, it just looks so silly and dated. I think the tables have turned, especially if a skeptical curmudgeon like me is starting to gravitate to social media over network or print media for marketing.
To all the insta and social media startups: The vanity selfies and over-the-top instagram makeup have to die down, though. I just want to see swatches, not your best duck lipped or what you think is sexy or sultry pose. Gross. Give me something real, like what it looks like after 8 hours with my kids going from practices to grocery shopping and cooking and baths. How’s that eyeshadow/brow gel/highlighter/lip stain looking then?
One exception – Kathleen Lights. I like watching the makeup and the behind-the-scenes videos for her seasonal releases. They are more fun to watch then the actual campaign photos. She looks like she’s having the best time but you can definitely see the hustle.
Again with the coffee. I should never comment after that second cup.
Ha ha. I concur! Skeptical curmudgeon’s of the beauty world, UNITE! 😀
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Hahaha! No way… I appreciate coffee talk and opinions so much. I remember when fashion illustrators’ work were advertisements in papers. That’s what my uncle used to do but the world progressed. I love that I can come here and find so many dupes so easily. IG definitely changes my makeup world and I used to be a makeup artist. Well, before IG.
I agree with Pearl so much.
Btw, I saw a few Aziza eyeshadow palettes at Big Lots and bought one just for the memories. I think that perfume ad with Kristen Stewart running into God knows what is so odd. Is the perfume so nasty she has to run away from? And now we have UD with Born to Run like I dreamed of running or training for a 26.2 or 13.1 wearing any sort of eyeshadow. Sorry, can’t help it but why is this running about? Lol! I rather skip the perfume and beautiful eyeshadow palette and buy a pair of awesome Sauconys.
It definitely increases visibility. That said, I’ve unfollowed almost every brand on social media because I got sick of feeling like my IG and Twitter were nothing but makeup ads. I’ve unsubscribed from most of their emails too. So many of the brands were sending out several messages a week, or even a message a day. It’s too much!
Definitely! Most of us are active on social media to some degree these days. I am 64 and if you had told me even 10 years ago that I would be posting on social media I would have called you crazy. As others before me have said, the social media hype machine is very effective and while it gets to all of us it is particularly relevant to young people today. In our society it is hard for young people just starting out because if they don’t have the money to furnish an apartment, drive a nice car, buy expensive makeup, go to events then they feel like failures from the get go and beauty influencers who are posting pictures of their new car and their beautifully decorated apartments while piling on Tom Ford makeup an wearing designer shoes just make them want more things. Totally irrelevant to the topic at hand but my daughter and I spoke before she left for college about the fact that the home, furniture, car, etc that I have is from working for 40 years. I didn’t start off with this stuff. It took time for me to build up my glass collection or my antique furniture. I cautioned her about getting sucked into the “I must have it all right now” frame of mind since that leads to credit card debt and misery. I worry about the effect that influencers have on society in general. To answer the question, they have a profound effect and much of it is not positive.
Certainly. So many middling products seem hot just because of social media marketing. I am sort of sad when a very good product doesn’t get same attention just because the brand isn’t proactive with social media. Like, would MUFE have reformulated its eyeshadow if it were social media-popular; hard to know.
Many of my favorite products come from my learning of them first online. On the other hand, I am turned off by the dramas.
Yes I do – it’s instantaneous and fast, so visibility is certain – particularly for new releases.
YES! It is getting rather annoying being constantly bombarded with advertisements. The “hype train” & supersaturation of some of these brands & constant new releases is getting to the point that I just ignore it – it is just too overwhelming. It is great to have lots of choices but it seems like the same stuff is being repackaged & rearranged over & over. Not a lot of positive innovation, just a lot of gimmicky crap.
Of course. In 2018, if you want the all important 18-34 demographic, you need to use social media, and multiple platforms. Print magazines are folding by the week, even those that have been proactive about digital content, although the websites seem to still be working for them. And it’s not that hard to watch all (or most of) your favorite shows commercial-free if you’re willing to pay a few bucks a month. Social media, both with ads and with posts is huge in a brand’s positioning.
No doubt! Some to extremes and those kind of get to me and I just end up avoiding them when they push it down your throat.