DISCUSSION
Beauty brands’ pandemic-era content aims to be more than skin deep
Written by RetailWire Staff
Sources: goop.com; Wander Beauty/Instagram; Indle Lee/Instagram
Consumers may not have tips for looking their best at the top of their reading lists at the present moment as many remain at home to stay safe and stop the spread of COVID-19. That’s the rationale driving decisions by some beauty brands to refocus their messaging on mental health and wellness topics.
Indie beauty brand Goop found that an article it had published on its website before the novel coronavirus outbreak — “8 Ways to Reduce Your Anxiety” — experienced a spike in traffic when the pandemic got underway, up 734 percent over its previous four-week average, according to an article on Glossy. The section of the Goop website dedicated to work and wellness has experienced a 23 percent increase in views. The brand has since increased its focus on that type of content.
Other indie brands, Wander Beauty and Indie Lee, likewise have pivoted their marketing calendars to shift away from beauty and towards content focused on staying calm, working from home and mindfulness strategies.
The public interest in mental health and wellness-related content is easy to understand given the upheaval caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Enforced social isolation and mass job loss have created new social problems and exacerbated existing ones.
For instance, surges in domestic violence have been reported globally, The New York Times reports, as spouses are unable to pursue normal social channels outside of the home while experiencing higher levels of stress from the fallouts of the pandemic.
One report from an Orange County suicide hotline notes an 8,000 percent uptick in calls during the month of March, according to The Orange County Register. Many callers reported experiencing suicidal ideation and a sense of hopelessness.
Retailers in spaces other than beauty have taken steps toward addressing the concerns arising from the coronavirus pandemic. Zappos, the online shoe retailer renowned for its customer focus, for example, has launched a "Customer Service for Anything" hotline, in part to give those experiencing social isolation someone to talk to.
- Indie beauty brands leverage mental health content amid coronavirus pandemic – Glossy
- A New Covid-19 Crisis: Domestic Abuse Increases Worldwide – The New York Times
- Suicide, help hotline calls soar in Southern California over coronavirus anxieties – OC Register
- Zappos overhauls its website for home bound customers – RetailWire