Confession: Fenty Beauty brought the Beauty industry to its knees in 2017…and still is today…
Why we have Fenty Beauty to thank for the renaissance of innovation and inclusivity we’ve seen from the beauty industry in recent years and how Rihanna singled handedy birthed the resurgence.
Long before Rihanna embarked on the journey of motherhood and gave birth to her two baby boys, Rza & Riot, she re-birthed an entire industry that was solely surviving on the legacy of bias and exclusivity. Here’s why Fenty Beauty belongs in the Digital Marketing Hall of Fame.
Breaking the ‘Glass Ceiling’
Fenty Beauty is a Global beauty brand created and founded by international pop star, Rihanna, in 2017 under the Kendo brand subsidiary of LVMH. Since its launch the brand has expanded its portfolio to include Fenty Cosmetics, Fenty Skin (2020), Fenty Fragrance (2021), and most recently Fenty Hair (2024).
At the time of Fenty Beauty’s brand launch in September of 2017 it was unpresedented for any make-up brand, let alone one in partnership with a major retailer/distributor like Sephora, to offer a 40 shade product range. The concept of shade range and inclusion was unheard of and “taboo” within the industry for decades, and for years no one dared to disrupt it…
But on September 8, 2017 that disruption came with a vengence and it proved itself to be a historical disruption in its own right. Time Magazine even called it one of the greatest inventions of 2017.
Fenty Beauty’s launch was a revolutionary challenge to the beauty industry’s long history of racial discrimation and exclusivity. Rihanna’s vision broke barriors and created a domino affect of openned doors for both the consumers of the products, future beauty brand entrepreneurs, and the representation of the models that promote them; shaking the industry up from the inside out.
The #FentySnackz Campaign
Fast forward to September of 2023, after numerous product launches through Sephora, and announcing her distribution deal with Ulta Beauty in 2022, Rihanna and her Fenty Beauty team made another announcement that shook the internet. On September 27th the team dropped an AI generated teaser on Instagram & TikTok of a Fenty Beauty vending machine with miniature versions of their best selling products and the caption, “ Get ya coins ready for #FentySnackz Cravings will be satisfied soon…”
Why the #FentySnackz campaign successful
Crystal clear objective, Awareness
The FentySnackz campaign announced the availabilty of mini editions of Fenty Beauty’s best selling products at Target through their partnership with Ulta Beauty; an intentional product branding strategy given the trend ‘boom’ of travel minis we all seek from Target. In the week leading up to the October 1st launch, Fenty Beauty promoted various forms of content that teased the miniature Fenty beauty products soon to be available.
Hitting their target with a Bullseye (Target pun intended)
Fenty Beauty should teach a Master Class on the social listening and ethnographic research they invest in to understand what their core audience wants and needs so clearly.
They do a great job of knowing what products consumers want from them, while simultaneously watching the industry to keep up with what is trending, and still being innovative — whether through formula, packaging design, or shade availability. They also pay close attention to how to speak to their core audience! If you notice, many of the captions and the language within the campaigns sound like Rihanna — and who doesn’t LOVE how Rihanna talks? You can read them almost completely in her voice, which keeps the tone and communication of the brand authentic to its core identity, Rih Rih herself.
Conducted a post launch campaign activation
In knowing that much of the core audience for all three brands is made up of Black Women aged 18–50, the trio collaboration conducted a post launch activation for #FentySnackz at Howard University’s Homecoming, to reinforce awareness of the product collection. The “ULTIMATE” beauty lounge used Fenty Beauty products for free make overs and handed out free mini’s that could also be found in Target stores near campus. I may be biased as a Howard Alumna myself, but thats pretty brilliant if you ask me.
As A Marketing Nerd…
Fenty Beauty belongs in the Digital Marketing Hall of Fame as the undisputed champion of inclusion and diversity in the beauty industry. Fenty Beauty’s campaigns still work beucase they continue to make people feel seen, heard, and valued. They prove that inclusivity doesn’t have to just be a fad, but can rather be core value, vision, and mission for any beauty brand.
I would argue that had it not been for Fenty Beauty, the beauty industry today would still only vastly represent and value one demographic of consumer.
