Building Brands Through Belonging: Strategies Rooted in Community
Over the years, more and more brands are leaning into community-driven campaigning, putting their customers at the forefront and understanding their wants and needs within each product to understand their audience better and, in turn, produce sought-after items that their customers feel a part of. Listening to customers has driven lasting impact and has created a whole new path of marketing: community marketing. While many brands leverage their consumer base, a few take community branding to a new level that ultimately drives the brand's demand. Let's look at three brands dominating the community marketing space while seamlessly integrating their audience into all aspects of their brand identity.
REFY
REFY has quickly become a top name in the community-driven approach, making each consumer's voice heard. Recently, REFY relaunched one of its best-selling lip liners, incorporating valuable customer feedback to refine the formula. Their messaging, "Products are made by us, designed by you," reinforces a brand ethos beyond beauty; it fosters a community where consumers feel like buyers and active participants in shaping a lifestyle they connect with and aspire to. How do they achieve this ever-growing community? Through constant customer appreciation. Rather than following the typical influencer trip model, REFY has redefined the experience by inviting its loyal customers instead to what they call "Community trips." This approach brings customers together to meet one another. It allows consumers to fully engage with the brand, fostering a deeper connection and ensuring they feel valued by the company they choose to support.
BUBBLE
Speaking closely with one of their targeted age demographics, Gen Zers, Bubble has built a tight-knit community of Bubble customers through their relationships with university and college campuses. Known as Bubble on Campus, the brand has established a strong community of students by providing them with products, making appearances during peak student seasons, and becoming a recognizable name on campus. These initiatives allow students to test products, engage with brand ambassadors, and integrate Bubble into their college experience. By creating products that truly resonate with their audience and consistently showing up for their customers where they need them most, Bubble fosters a sense of community that attracts students and strengthens their connection to the brand.
Saie
Saie is another brand that has created a community for consumers to feel part of a lifestyle that connects with the brand - clean, fresh, and minimalistic makeup looks. Founder of Saie Laney Crowell recently shared in A New York Post interview how they are connecting with their audiences and what they are planning to continue having their customers at the front. Crowell shared that one of the key ways they plan to integrate their community into the brand further is through Instagram broadcasts. This platform allows them to engage directly with their audience, asking questions about what they want to see, how they envision the look and feel of products, and even gathering input on packaging design. By incorporating consumer opinions, brands can build stronger customer relationships, fostering a more profound sense of trust and loyalty.
While community-focused branding is not a new concept for many companies and has remained a core value for some since its initial launch, community-driven marketing and PR strategies are becoming integral aspects of campaigns. Brands are shifting their focus from simply selling to fostering genuine connections, ensuring customers feel like key parts of the brand rather than just consumers.
This raises the question for beauty brands: What does a thriving brand community look like, and how can companies differentiate themselves in an increasingly competitive industry? Looking ahead, we can only expect this to stay consistent with deeper consumer involvement, more community-driven events, and highly immersive, inclusive experiences beyond seasonal marketing and PR campaigns. Instead, these initiatives will become crucial to brand engagement, shaping how brands and their audiences interact.
