http://www.thedebrief.co.uk/style/hair-and-beauty/instagram-beauty-brands-20160463208
The article says that Instagram is like the modern day department store, with hashtags whisking you away to which ever department you seek. I think this is a really cool analogy for Instagram because it’s really accurate. Within a department store, there’s different brands to serve different groups of people. MAC for example is usually targets a younger crowd, along with brands like Too Faced, Benefit and ABH. More classic brands like Lancome, Clarins and Chanel usually attract an older crowd. This is exactly what hashtags allow you to do on Instagram, except it’s better. Instagram’s hashtags allow the user to find a post about an exact thing or look. What to see a tutorial on a smokey eye? Easy. But what about something more specific? How about a Halloween inspired cut crease. With a hashtag, it’s in front of you in an instant.
This direct flow of content to the user is what’s getting the attention of cosmetic brands. The article states that Instagram is allowing brands to create a relationship with their followers. Items sitting in a department store and being stared down by beauty advisors is kind of like really intimidating for a lot of shoppers. But on Instagram, people can see the personality the brand is trying to create online. It’s more personal and interactive and creates a more positive experience for the user. The most important part of all of that is that it’s what makes profit. A good Instagram means money. Creating cute packaging that looks good in pictures and making a fun hashtag is all it takes to be successful.
This is what has allowed for the creation of Insta-famous brands. Brands like Morphe, Jeffree Star Cosmetics and ColourPop created all of their business on Instagram (and online). Although Morphe did have a small boutique in California before becoming famous, all three brands owe their success to Instagram. Without the power of the hashtag, there’s no way any of the brands would have made it big. They’ve created a cult following that drives their sales and often creates sell out products. Collaborations with beauty bloggers also helps to created even more success between the brand and the blogger. Along with this, brands can create trends simultaneously create products that are necessary to create the trend on one’s face. Highlighters are a perfec example of what’s happening currently. Reflexive highlighters are the hot thing that everyone has to have. So, brands are banking on this by creating highlighters like no tomorrow. They’re all in competition with each other to create a product that looks the best in your Insta-selfies. In other words, their highlighter has to be super pigmented and reflexive or otherwise it’s not going to sell because it’s not going to look good in a selfie (which is how they’re going to successfully sell products).