“We can’t afford to launch something meaningless,” a master perfumer tells me. He wants to create “meaningful” launches, or none at all. Celebrities – bringing new beauty brands into a notoriously fickle and increasingly oversaturated market – are saying similar things in interviews.
Is it just smart messaging? A way of demonstrating worthiness, earning respect, and building trust. Is “meaningful” a buzzword now? (And yes, I know buzzwords tend to have little, err, real meaning.) Even if it is all these things, I see their point.
Right now, consumers are seeking value in two clear ways. Monetary value, naturally, given there’s zero sign of the cost-of-living crisis abating. And symbolic value. With sustainability and supply chain issues challenging production, and consumers’ ethical expectations shifting, goods are loaded with value now. Profit with purpose has never been a more relevant goal in the wellness and beauty biz.
Ultimately, when promoting a new launch, you guys already communicate the value something is bringing to the market. You craft story suggestions around exactly that. But for those of us pondering what makes something especially meaningful right now, it can’t hurt to prioritise pointing it out.
