Being a Millennial isn’t all about age — it’s a mind-set.
That was the overarching message at CEW’s Beauty Insider panel held Monday evening at the Harmonie Club. The discussion, moderated by WWD Beauty Inc. editor Jenny B. Fine, called on four brands leading the charge in Millennial consumer engagement — Refinery29, Unilever, Ulta Beauty and Anastasia Beverly Hills — to share insights on what makes the demographic tick.
It’s no secret that targeting Millennials is top of mind for beauty brands. “We have to recalibrate our messages and our strategies to really change the game,” said Jill Scalamandre, CEW chairwoman and senior vice president of Philosophy and Coty Prestige Skin Care, in an opening address.
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Fine began by asking Megan McIntyre, beauty director at Refinery29, to define the Millennial demographic. McIntyre noted that while Refinery29 does target its content towards the standard 18-34 age range, there’s a broader group it’s focused on as well. “We call them Millennial-minded,” she said. “They’re women in that 35-45 age range who still think as a Millennial would. They’re very involved with social media. They tweet. They photograph. They shop.”
When it comes to an overall content strategy, McIntrye attributed Refinery29’s success to the brand’s “antibeauty” stance and non-condescending tone. “These women look at themselves as a brand — they’re putting their best selves out there, so we’re trying to give them the tools they need.” McIntyre said. “In beauty, we try not to tell them what they can and cannot do. As far as we’re concerned, you do you.”
Anastasia Soare, chief executive officer and founder of Anastasia Beverly Hills, was quick to agree. Anastasia Beverly Hills utilizes a community of key influencers to promote its products on social media, but Soare said demanding specifics is not part of her strategy. “The moment you force them, they push away.”
The Millennial-minded demographic is stretched even further when it comes to retail — the so-called Millennial mom can be just as important. “There’s a significant percentage of Millennials shopping with their moms — and mom is still paying,” said Tara Simon, senior vice president of merchandising at Ulta Beauty.
Soare agreed that there is no age limit when it comes to identifying as a Millennial. “I consider myself a Millennial!” said Soare. “I know everything a Millennial knows.” The proof is in Soare’s social media prowess — her 15-year-old brand has an Instagram following of 6.3 million.
It’s not just Instagram where the brand excels — it’s mobile in general. Soare noted that 70 percent of Anastasia Beverly Hills e-commerce sales come from mobile devices. Social media and e-commerce are key investment areas for the brand. With Millennials checking at least four e-commerce sites or social media accounts before buying a product online, Soare cited perks like free shipping as imperative. “You have to listen to the consumer, ”she said. “They’ll give so much back. If you’re willing to learn, you can get 6 million [followers] too.”
Constantly testing content on various social media platforms emerged as a key strategy component that all panelists preached the importance of. Kathryn Fernandez, senior manager of earned media for hair, skin and personal care at Unilever, emphasized continual testing, especially for established parent companies with large umbrellas of brands. Fernandez referenced TRESemmé’s New York Fashion Week partnership with Tumblr as a prime example. “It’s really looking at the platform and the content that works well on that platform, and realizing how people are engaging with [the] content,” Fernandez said. The brand’s partnership with influential Tumblr creators was a success because of the popularity of the individual micro-blogs. “These are who consumers are going to and who they’re constantly engaging with.”
Fernandez admitted a big brand like TRESemmé must be willing to relinquish some creative control when testing, but the end result is well worth it. “Test and learn on the right brands and the right campaigns,” Fernandez said. “I’m so much [less] risk-averse than I was two years ago. If we don’t test and learn, we can’t take that learning to the other brands.”