Are Influencers the best way to Build Transparency for your Beauty Brand?
Advertising is no longer just billboard and TV or radio ads, society has evolved and therefore so have brands. 82% of consumers use Instagram as a source of information. But does this leave room for you to be transparent with your customers and promote transparency in beauty as a whole? Because of its accessibility, social media advertising is a way for brands to be where their consumers are. In the beauty industry, social media has become a key part of consumer-brand interaction. What makes social media so important are the influencers who are a product of consumers being in control of who they want to listen to and what they want to see. Influencers are supposed to be what makes social media advertising more relatable and trustworthy since these influencers are normal people and consumers are able to follow influencers with similar skin types, hair types, or make-up aesthetic which means that you should be able to be as raw and transparent with your customers because influencers are real people. Having the ability to influence people is a huge responsibility but entrusting someone to represent your brand truthfully is an even bigger responsibility which is why beauty brands need to pick the correct influencers to promote their products. If the influencer has loyal followers the brand automatically gains loyal consumers, this should be a great responsibility and opportunity for beauty brands to promote transparency in beauty.
Although social media may be unscripted compared to a TV ad it is not at all unfiltered, which is the issue. Many beauty influencers are using skin smoothening filters while promoting a skin care product and enhancing their facial features to exaggerate the effects of a make up product, which is quite simple put- False advertising and anything far from being transparent and honest.
The most recent turmoil involves Jennifer Lopez who released her own beauty line called JLo beauty, the brand’s ethos is to be yourself and glow from within. JLo’s skin has always defied aging, but fans and consumers couldn’t help but notice how easy it is for a celeb to embrace herself and promote her beauty line claiming this is her only skin care routine. This, however, backfired because consumers are not so easy to fool and exercise their voices by calling out the fake because people want relatable and transparent content.
42% of consumers said they would buy beauty products promoted by influencers who are trustworthy, more likely to give a negative review about a product, and who disclose which of their posts are ads, while 15% plainly refused to believe influencers.
At the end of the day using filters or any other more invasive cosmetic procedures is okay as long as influencers are not using those means to exaggerate and manipulate the results of a skincare or makeup product in order to sell the product. The onus lies on the brand to base their partnerships with influencers on transparency in order to cultivate a beauty industry that does not consist of beauty expectations that are far too unrealistic instead of authentic.
