From screens to skincare: How Glossier conquers communication.
Glossier is a “digitally native” skincare and makeup organisation, founded in 2014, who have developed a “cult following” online among millennials. Within the beauty industry, social media is a widely used communication channel, and Glossier has embraced this and used their presence on Instagram, X, and their blog, to conquer communications and establish their brand identity.
Instagram.
At 3 million followers, Glossier balances a combination of content to create their distinct “glossier girl” aesthetic and visual mood board. Their communication tone resembles that of “a close friend” , and taps into “girlfriend culture” which relates to “empowering female friendships”. These factors have helped them establish a brand personality of an individual rather than an organisation which results in increased trust and genuine interactions when communicating.
Glossier’s Instagram content, including new product polls and product teasers, deliberately encourages conversations. Use of user generated content authenticates products and replies to customers via their friendly tone develops their friend persona, creates a brand community, and results in a reciprocal relationship with followers. However, Glossier tends to avoid engaging with negative feedback like in this post. In order to enhance trust online, Glossier must engage with both positive and critical comments in the future.
X (Twitter).
Glossier uses X as an immediate communication tool to engage with customers in a more controversial tone compared to Instagram. Glossier plays into “meme culture”, communicating through memes such as gifs and customer created content, in a non-offensive way. Memes allow them to generate media attention for products, cultivate a loyal following, and communicate how millennials communicate with friends, making them appear relatable.
Blog.
“Into the Gloss” was Glossier’s original online communication platform, used to authentically promote products and encourage engagement through longer content. Glossier communicates on topics, including product reviews, skincare tips, and wellness educational content, to a greater depth. This is an alternative to the short content on other platforms and is written like a long conversation with a friend, further contributing to their friend persona. However, incorporating multimedia, such as polls, and a comment section on all posts could allow readers to share their thoughts with each other to improve their online community and make communication more engaging.
Blueprint for success?
A key success factor is Glossier’s ability to tap into the millennial demographic by leveraging social media, to encourage two way communications. Creating slightly different, yet unified, content for each platform is what enables a company’s success and Glossier evidently does this whilst maintaining a unified brand image. Glossier’s ability to adapt their communication tone, content, and style depending on the platform along with a high understanding of internet culture enables them to communicate with varying people within the digital age.
However, their reliance on “social clout” to strengthen their communications poses a future threat if consumer opinions change. Additionally, as Glossier has become more established online, they have struggled to communicate at the same standard resulting in dissatisfied followers. Therefore, to remain successful, strengthening communications on “timeless” media forms, such as their blog, and considering how to manage large scale communications is essential.
Overall, Glossier’s well developed understanding and presence on social media platforms enables them to successfully communicate within digital society.
