Consumers’ preferences have drastically changed due to the pandemic – from the increase of fully functioning home offices to hybrid working models that have impacted how the public groom themselves.
The latest McKinsey & Co report, highlighted notable trends including the exponential growth of male-oriented cosmetics and skincare while female cosmetics sharply declined in 2021. In addition, raised mental health awareness has also shaped development in sectors such as self-care and body care.
As a new year unfolds, we look ahead to what may shape beauty in 2022.
- Pared down minimalist beauty
The new normal is healthy, bare skin. People are letting their skin breathe and applying fewer chemicals and using less harmful ingredients (i.e. parabens, sulfates). Findings also highlighted that consumers are cutting back on the sheer amount of products bought and simplifying their beauty routine — which means fewer products clogging up their bathroom cabinets and fewer bottles clogging up our landfills.
- Conglomerates eco-conscious shift
More prominent beauty brands like L’Oreal and Estee Lauder are making an extra effort to create cruelty-free formulations and enforce their commitment to sustainability. In addition, a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, called Powered Brands aims to create a new kind of global conglomerate made up of sustainable and digitally focused beauty brands.
- Reduced-waste packaging
Saving the planet starts with home practices. From encouraging the use of minimal plastic packaging with bar soaps to introducing refillable packaging, beauty brands are stepping up sustainability initiatives. For example, hair care brand Shiseido Professional reduced its overall use of plastic by 75% to support the concept of Circular Economy.
- Mission-driven beauty
Planting a tree with purchase, recycling initiatives, or empowering women worldwide are just some of the causes leading the mission-driven beauty movement. Trends like Fair Trade beauty are taking up more real estate as well as companies like Tacha which donates towards a day of school through Room to Read’s Girls’ Education Program.
- Inclusivity for all
Inclusion, be it identity, age, race, gender, or lived experience, will define the future expression of modern beauty. With regard to the exponential growth of male-oriented cosmetics, V&V’s sister company, The Soothe has started more inclusive beauty conversations including aesthetic beauty for men and manscaping for your mental health.
All-in-all, reports show consumers are seeking brands that align with climate positivity and inclusivity in every area of their lives, and also natural, clean beauty for their skin, so expect to see more brands shift towards these trends in 2022.
As the world transitions from a pandemic to an endemic, travellers are gearing up for their new worldwide adventures. This means that communicators have to evolve their messaging based on the significant changes that shake up the travel industry.
Market prediction and insights from industry experts are crucial for public relations practitioners to become proactive drivers of change. This article unpacks the top 3 trends that the travel industry can expect in 2022.
Travellers are at the First Stage of Travel
Travel marketing experts will know that all travellers go through five stages of travel – dreaming, planning, booking, experiencing and sharing. As per Google’s Think Travel Research, most travellers are presently in the dreaming phase, where they yearn for their next holiday.
It is now the best time to reach out to these future travellers through light-hearted, non-hard sell social content which is primarily organic and user-generated. Start a virtual conversation and engage them early; subsequently, re-engage and sell the dream. It is also helpful to monitor and be current with the latest social trends and adapt to a product suite that is best suited to the preferences of the new traveller.
The New Travel Pattern
After a two-year hiatus for many, travellers will make serious plans to go further, and international travel will triumph over domestic travel. In a Google’s Think Report research, 87% of future travellers will take an international trip of more than five days, compared to the 2019 average of 3.8 days per destination. Of which, 78% of travellers will prefer luxury stays and experiences. Luxury travel can be determined by 5 Cs – culture, cuisine, community, content and customisation. These travel plans are likely leisure holidays, celebrating major milestone events and longer planning and booking cycles.
Covid Related Considerations
Living in an endemic does not eliminate certain restrictions imposed by the destinations, and getting fully vaccinated is currently the number one motivator for international travel. The quarantine preference will be a huge differentiating factor.
Travellers will be asking more specific quarantine questions such as the length of quarantine, types of accommodation, size of housing, the additional use of amenities, the option of a balcony for fresh air, in-room entertainment and upgraded meal packages.
In an accelerated digital age, consumers are given the freedom and tools to share their opinions widely and easily. Add on the global agendas to combat climate change, challenging social and political issues, plus a pandemic — we can agree that we’re riding a huge wave of change. As communicators, it’s never been more important to be deeply entrenched in our clients’ brands and extend our positions from being the connector between the media and our clients, to being fierce brand guardians with strong commercial acumen.
Market prediction and being industry experts are crucial for public relations practitioners to become proactive drivers of change. In this article, we unpack big changes that have been shaking up the industry and present the top 5 trends that PR professionals need to adapt to to remain relevant and competitive.
Sharp, measurable results beyond ‘PR value’
A decades-old point of contention in the PR industry has been how PR success is measured. Through the years, agencies have worked out various mathematical formulas to place a commercial value on earned media, often defined as ‘PR value’. But as the world becomes more sophisticated, how do smaller businesses — who may not necessarily invest in proprietary technology — measure consumer sentiment and outcome? This is where, we believe, developing tailored deliverables that are tied to commercial success is key. Whether a campaign drives an increase in room nights over the same period, or driving page visits from a specific piece of content, PR teams need to put on their mettle and demonstrate the power of great storytelling.
Well-researched, socially-aware campaigns
In this era, consumers are not simply demanding quality products but are actively sourcing purchases that align with their personal values and commitments. With more people putting conscious consumption into practice, highlighting your clients’ ethos and commitment to social responsibility will play a big role in reaching your target audience. As consumers are constantly being exposed to advertisements and products pitching for their attention, providing meaningful creative content will ensure better reception. Finding platforms and social media channels that will give brand leaders an opportunity to voice their views can allow consumers to connect with the brand on a greater level by understanding the heart and mind behind it.
Selecting relevant and socially responsible KOLs
How long has it been since a Kardashian-endorsed product generated sky high sales? Besides, a celebrity level budget being out of reach for many brands, finding KOLs that demonstrate authenticity is becoming a rarity. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as when brands do manage to find the right one(s) to collaborate with, it could go a long way in generating brand love. PR agencies should be aware of potential KOLs on multiple levels – micro, macro, and nano – as well as what this means in multiple markets and social media platforms, as well as the average engagement levels of influencers. Be an avid user of social media, so that you can keep an eye out for upcoming talent which could allow you to foster important relationships early on.
Rethinking events and consumer activations
In most countries, the road to opening up after the pandemic has been slow which means the possibility of holding large scale consumer activations or events in the near future are slim. While this has definitely thrown a cog into the usual running of public relations, it has also been an opportunity for agencies to get creative and even increase their reach and effectiveness in these unprecedented times. Because of this, online and hybrid activities have become more commonplace. And while we’re all eager to see life go back to normal, it is entirely possible that many of these new changes are here to stay even after the pandemic. Therefore, PR agencies should not view this time as a temporary waiting period before returning to traditional consumer activations and events is possible. Rather, effectively experimenting with new strategies and identifying which ones will remain relevant post-COVID will set PR agencies on track to adapt to the long term changes we will see in consumers and their behaviours.
Debunking the traditional definition of PR and deep diving into digital
In an age of algorithms and data-driven marketing, a key question to ask is where PR fits in the consumer journey given these new adaptations. Consistently serving to help clients build relationships and highlight noteworthy aspects of their brand, we believe the PR role remains of high value and acts as the strongest brand guardian in a time of constant change. As PR agencies and in-house teams work more cross-functionally than ever, it provides an opportunity to connect multiple marketing functions to drive better search, earned, and shared results and build a great reputation. In fact, a data-saturated world benefits PR teams tremendously if they are able to capitalise upon it by generating relevant and meaningful content which will translate to better content that drives conversion.
