imc 619 bobbi brown cosmetics and facebook

Marchant, StephanieIMC 619 Week 7

As a cosmetics company, Bobbi Brown’s (BB) website has to appeal to two types of consumers: the consumer making an impulse buy; and those looking for that perfect purchase. The first woman wants to complete her transaction as quickly as possible, spending a minimum of time on the site; the second will spend up to weeks researching, comparing, and testing products before she settles on one that satisfies her. (Morgan, 2012) BB has done a beautiful job of accommodating both with a keen understanding of the different modes of shopping taking place in their market.

To pique the curiosity of the browsers and digital window shoppers, BB’s website is stocked with an enormous amount of content, including before-and-afters, YouTube videos, and “How Tos” from a carefully selected team of makeup artists. What sets BB’s site apart from its competitors is the successful translation of its brand values and how they apply to their customers. With copy and imagery that play off the BB aesthetic perfectly, the site invites site visitors to see how the products align with their and personalities, and even how they can participate in the promotion on their own. BB also has a healthy number of regular customers who want to replenish their supplies quickly, a customer need reflected in the website. While their website is expansive, and text-heavy, BB’s Facebook page is much more visual, highlighting a product and including – even encouraging – reviews and questions from fans.

Figure 1 Bobbi Brown Website


For years, fans of BB have used traditional and social media to lobby for the return of lip colors that are no longer in production. In February 2012, BB launched a Facebook campaign to let fans do just that. The campaign kicked off with a video message from founder and CCO Bobbi Brown, inviting fans to vote for their favorite from a list of the 10 most frequently requested colors. Voting was opened to consumers in the six countries Bobbi Brown Cosmetics sells to online — the U.S., UK, Korea, Japan, Germany and Australia. (Indvik, 2012) Adding to the fervor was the fact that the winning products would not be available in stores. Wine, the shade of Bobbi Brown lipstick that had the most votes in the United States, was available only online via a Facebook link in October. (Boncompagni, 2012) The company also plans to reintroduce other discontinued products, including blush and eye shadow, in the future.

The campaign was a great example of how to give fans ownership, engaging with them in a place they already gather to discuss the brand, and then rewarding their input with a chance to buy something exclusive. Currently the BB Facebook page has over 930,000 likes, with over 35,000 individuals “talking about” the page. Their holiday promotion - “Gift of Glam” – has been shared by close to 1,000 fans on Facebook. (Bobbi Brown, 2013)Their Twitter page has over 214,000 followers. (BobbiBrown Cosmetics, 2013)

Figure 2 Sample Posts from Facebook Page

BB wants to teach and inspire women to be their very best. Whether through video tutorials or quick tips, the coach is always teaching, and giving her community something. The BB Facebook page is a lot less about their specific products, and much more about how to apply amazing eye makeup, or tips for a perfect "beach look." (Kerpen, 2013)


There is measurable value in using Facebook to acquire fans, engage fans and drive traffic between Facebook and a company’s website. Studies show significant increases in website traffic once customers became a fan of their Facebook page and in the frequency of visits to their website by these fans. These fans are more engaged than a typical website visitor.

The difficulty arises from the fact that the world is a very heterogeneous place, where social technology provides end customers with a near endless combination of ways to consume information about products and services.

Building a successful marketing framework revolves around four key steps:

1. Listen — By utilizing both internal data as well as third party data sources, there is a plethora of information available to help understand specific, evolving customer preferences. In this case, BB heard their fans roar about their favorite products being discontinued, and took action.

2. Analyze — With the customer-centric vision in mind, segment the consumer base to understand how channel preferences differ by individual. Knowing that the largest segment of social media users are women, BB employed Facebook (and other channels) to reach them.

3. Plan — Use this understanding along with marketing best practices to build coordinated campaigns and strategy. For instance, creating a promotion built around saving a favorite product as well as demonstrating how to use these products.

4. Speak — Interact with your customer by customizing your strategy specifically to channel preferences, leveraging state-of-the-art tools to provide a seamless cross-channel experience. BB monitors their Facebook page and regularly answers questions from fans.

It’s easy to obsess over the latest social media craze or technology, but in doing so it also becomes easy to lose site of the end-goal: making a lasting, meaningful connection with customers. By utilizing the steps above, the foundation necessary to fuel a customer obsession exists.

BB’s website and the use of Facebook is successful because they foster relationships with their fan base. As a result, the brand has turned its digital commerce operations into sites of exploration and connection, rather than just pure transaction.


ReferencesBobbi Brown. (2013, December 7). Retrieved from Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/BobbiBrown

BobbiBrown Cosmetics. (2013, December 7). Retrieved from Twitter: https://twitter.com/BobbiBrown

Boncompagni, T. (2012, May 1). Social Media Breathes Life Into Shelved Products. Retrieved from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/03/fashion/social-media-breathes-new-life-into-discontinued-beauty-products.html?_r=0

Indvik, L. (2012, January 30). Bobbi Brown Launches Facebook Campaign to Revive Discontinued Cosmetics. Retrieved from Mashable: http://mashable.com/2012/01/30/bobbi-brown-facebook-campaign/

Kerpen, C. (2013, June 10). 6 Best Things Companies Do on Facebook Today. Retrieved from Inc: http://www.inc.com/carrie-kerpen/best-facebook-company-pages-today.html

Morgan, V. (2012, January 30). Bobbi Brown uses Facebook to crowdsource lip colour revival. Retrieved from eConsultancy: http://econsultancy.com/us/blog/8843-bobbi-brown-uses-facebook-to-crowdsource-lip-colour-revival

imc 619 bobbi brown cosmetics and facebook

Marketing