For budding beauty influencers and editors, making a brand’s “PR list”, and becoming one of the chosen few who receives mailers and gifts is a big milestone.
But it can also become a headache — being on a PR list can mean unwittingly signing up for a deluge of unsolicited, random packages.
“When brands don’t ask [my needs], I wind up with 15 different psoriasis products or things for menopausal women’s vaginal dryness… I’m not menopausal and I don’t have psoriasis,” said Zoe Weiner, co-founder of Beautyfor, a non-profit that sells commercially unviable products donated by brands to raise money for its partner charities.
It’s not uncommon for beauty brands to send a mailer that contains every shade of a new foundation or lipstick launch, rather than a handful that might suit the recipient, or to send a smaller item like a fragrance or body wash in large, hard-to-break-down custom packaging. Brands, especially those in the prestige and luxury brackets, want their mailers to feel special and memorable, and for influencers and editors, receiving PR mailers is part of the job, and a way for brands to get traction for new launches.
But waste has become a big issue. According to UK-based commercial waste management company Business Waste, about 40 percent of unopened beauty products end up in landfills every year, and recipients are starting to call out brands for their excessive mailers.
One creator, Olivia Marcus, took aim at MAC Cosmetics in particular for sending an overly large mailer in a TikTok video made earlier this year in February, describing it as “wasteful and gluttonous”. “I didn’t need to be sent 19 shades of lipstick,” she said. Another, Jas Anahis, posted about excess packaging, saying in a video that she received just four small lipsticks inside outsize, Russian doll-style layers of boxes, bags and tissue.
The pushback is partly out of growing sustainability concerns, but also, growing awareness. Before the pandemic ushered in the remote working boom, packages sent to publishing houses were often sorted by junior assistants, and superfluous add-ons like tissue paper and outer packaging dutifully removed before presenting to their editors. Now, those editors see the sheer scale of mailers on their doorsteps.
UK-based beauty editor Laura Capon said she sees testing products as an integral part of her job and that she understands the nuanced decision-making brands have to do. “What I might [like] another person might hate,” she said.
For PR agencies and brands, it’s a fine line to walk. Exclusion of anyone in their community could cause offence — and also mean missing out on a potential mention in their Instagram Story or article — but efforts to send more mindfully, like asking individuals to opt-in ahead of time can be resource-intensive.
However, finding ways to gift more mindfully can represent both a cost saving for brands in terms of reduced product and shipping costs, and also an opportunity to practise what they preach on sustainability claims. To do so, on top of reducing extras like tissue paper and cellophane, brands need to identify a target gifting audience who not only genuinely desire the packages, but also can convert their influence and recommendations into sales and awareness.
An Evolved Strategy
In order to maximise their reach – and in turn, their chances of coverage – it’s normal for brands to send their wares to a broad group of press and content creators, and previously, without their explicit permission. However, a “the more the merrier” approach often sees the practice quickly spiral into excess.
“In the influencer space, they catch a lot of flak on overconsumption. Brands have to be mindful that by seeding, they’re entering into that conversation,” said Garrett Bemiller, account supervisor at public relations agency Factory PR.
A successful, mindful gifting moment can help put brands on the map. Premium skincare brand Versed sent out a mint green, croissant-shaped headband to its network of influencers when it launched in 2019, which have now appeared in more than 20,000 videos on TikTok and Instagram. The headband was distinctive and practical, as it helps keep one’s hair back when washing one’s face, creating an ideal promotional moment for Versed’s skincare and cleansing ritual.
The brand has refined its strategy even further, reducing its once 1,500 mailers per month down to 500 to 600 packages. Cutting back didn’t just save money and waste in the short term, but also helped the brand identify which recipients are moving the needle for the brand. The smaller volume of packages now goes to a more targeted audience who are genuinely interested in the products, said director of growth and partnerships Emma Wesel, making it easier for the brand to form more personal connections and conversations with each influencer.
Natural-focussed beauty line Not Your Mother’s operates through a two-tiered approach that includes an always-on campaign and a customised mailer for co-branded partnerships. Not Your Mother’s has only sent 1,200 packages year to date, but still garnered 90 million social media impressions, according to senior director of brand marketing, Meghan Takahashi.
The Right Formula
Gifting can be a big investment for any brand, representing anywhere between five to ten percent of their overall budgets, with simple mailers starting around $5,000, and going up to $50,000 for larger-scale, more bespoke sendouts.
A scattergun policy may seem like it’s covering all bases, but it may actually have less impact than if it were tailored, said Keewana Grant, vice president of beauty and wellbeing at public relations firm Purple. “We want to be intentional and mindful and not just send [mailers] just because we have the budget,” she said.
Choosing influencers and editors who are true fans of the brand and tying gifting moments to a launch has been beneficial for Korean-inspired skincare brand Glow Recipe. During its gifting campaigns, Glow Recipe opts for recycled cardboard materials, and each mailer is tied back to the concept of the product with a focus on educating recipients about the product, rather than adding in random branded items.
If a mailer is going to include a gift on top of the products, it should speak to the education or complement the product experience, instead of add-ons like branded cups or totes. “Most editors and writers just want products,” said Richard Gallo, senior director at communications agency Factory PR, adding that brands are increasingly tailoring any add-ons to ensure they enhance the core product.
Opt-In, Not Opt-Out
Asking mailees to opt-in rather than opt-out is becoming increasingly common, turning a one-way dialogue into a two-way conversation.
That’s the approach prestige cosmetics maker Merit took since its January 2021 launch. Chief marketing officer Aila Morin said the brand asked mailees ahead of time to pick their desired products and shades. The brand seeded products over four months pre-launch to generate feedback and conversations with its budding community.
While it seems a straightforward solution, to pull it off, brands need to invest in more proactive communication with their recipients, and make sure to keep reviewing and updating their databases, as well as allocating enough manpower to pull it off. Careful social listening and more targeted strategies to identify which creators and press are genuinely connected to the brand and are likely to be pleased by a delivery will pay off, but it’s a longer-term investment.
There’s one obvious win from the right strategy — not annoying mailees with endless deliveries, said Noora Raj Brown, executive vice president of brand and communications at wellness brand Goop, which uses the opt-in method.
“We want to make sure that people actually want the product before we send it,” Brown said.
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