Current Mood

Gauging how we’re all currently feeling is one of the skills we need to employ right now. PRs when they talk to journalists, write releases or post on social. Us journalists when we write or post. It’s tough because audiences that were previously united in their thinking are feeling differently about the world according to their circumstances.

Previously in the beauty world you needed to think about price points being alienating, or availability (London centric) being potentially frustrating. But now, with the pandemic, there are a million different factors: how stressed people are, how stretched their incomes are, how much they need escapism versus their need for comfort – these are all considerations.

One thing is for certain, the hard sell seems so wrong right now, as does the stuff that seemed acceptable/funny/relatable last time – I’m thinking of the bemoaning of grey hairs appearing or Botox fading.

I’ve noticed some beauty influencers have gone quiet or stopped all together. Sam Chapman of Pixiwoo has nearly a million followers Instagram, but has decided to step away from the platform. Her last post said ‘I feel I’ve grown apart from what it is now and what it wants me to be in order to carry on.’ Authenticity has to be the key, right?

I’ve been talking to a brand about creating videos and they are clear they want help to lift people’s mood, rather than shift stock. Yesterday I talked to my friend make up artist Caroline Barnes on her IGTV. She had been feeling uneasy about doing her usual how-to make-up tutorials, so she suggested talking about heartbreak and my tips and advice for people going through it. The response from her followers was overwhelming.

In other news my friend and consummate PR, Victoria Chalmers of Black & White Communications has been busy working with her clients The Cosmetic Skin Clinic and The Private Clinic, helping them to offer up their injecting skills for public good by delivering the vaccine. This feels fitting and altruistic – and yes, also good for the brand,

The mood changes by the day, by the hour. It’s our job to keep feeling it.