WEAKNESSES:

Paid media limited to digital/social

• Fenty brands have yet to develop advertising campaigns that incorporate OOH, Linear TV, OTT, or Connected TV. These are more “traditional” methods of advertising for a brand that wants to stand out from the pack, but these channels have the potential to bring Fenty to a much larger audience. While 53% of American cosmetics users are aware of Fenty Beauty, only 13% use it. By increasing the share of voice, Fenty can communicate its value and convert viewers into consumers.

Trend Towards More Natural Makeup Looks

• Beauty consumers are trending towards an approach to makeup where makeup is used to minimally enhance natural features. This is a contrast to the previous decade’s trends of carved out, camera-ready, artistic looks. Fenty Beauty is known for its in-your-face, bold, excessive, attention-grabbing voice and branding. While its products can be used in more subtle ways, the tone of the brand might be unappealing to a growing crowd of minimalistic makeup users.

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THREATS:

Rising Celebrity Beauty Brand Competitors

• Search interest and top search results show that Fenty Beauty is competing with other celebrity-backed brands, particularly Haus Labs, Rare Beauty, and Rhode Beauty. Rare Beauty in particular has seen a dramatic rise in popularity in the past year. It is supported by a digitally active founder, values-based branding, and strong CSR initiatives.

Over-dependence on Rihanna as a brand

• The Fenty brands are currently heavily reliant on the sustained celebrity of Rihanna. With any form of spokesmanship, there is potential risk involved. Part of this issue is that Fenty as a company eventually needs to expand beyond Rihanna’s own core audience. If she gets canceled, if she needs a break, if her personal branding is too limiting for the Fenty brand, if her personal branding becomes misaligned with Fenty branding, the company will need to pivot.

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STRENGTHS:

Rihanna Revival

• 2023 is the return of Rihanna. From the Super Bowl Halftime Show to a strong likelihood of new music, Rihanna is returning to top of mind for many consumers in her day job as a chart-topping singer. Rihanna is both a strength and a weakness to the Fenty brand

Strong brand loyalty and brand awareness

• Fenty Beauty has 53% brand awareness across U.S. beauty consumers and 77% brand loyalty. These are strong numbers for a relatively new brand.

Strong owned and shared channels

• Fenty Beauty has a wide array of social channels that are all actively engaging with their customers: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Weibo, Xiaohongshu. 

• The Fenty Beauty / Fenty Skin website is well optimized with a consumer-centric design. There are even tabs for gift guides (insight that consumers are likely to purchase Fenty products as a gift) and Rihanna’s looks (insight that consumers want to know which products Rihanna is using). 
   

OPPORTUNITIES:

Rihanna at the Met Gala

• The Met Gala draws in many viewers on a variety of platforms and can be optimal timing to post content. Here are some metrics from the May 2022 Met Gala:

  • Live From E!: Met Gala - “444 million total multi-platform engagements across linear TV, digital and social views and social post responses via E! News handles and E! Online platforms”

  • Vogue - “11.5 million total visitors to the Vogue website,” “8 million engaged exclusively with Met-related content”

New Melt Awf Makeup Remover 

• This product is a unique overlap between many industry trends:

  • It’s clean, cruelty-free, and vegan: More than 70% of beauty consumers in each generation (Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X, and Boomer) plan to buy products labeled “clean.” These three categories are also among the top ten searches when consumers are looking for beauty products. 

  • It’s sustainable: Another top search interest is sustainability. 51% of consumers are looking for products in a well-designed reusable case. 

  • It’s a makeup remover: In the prestige makeup category, the top growing product is makeup remover at 60% sales growth in Q1 2022. 

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Important to Note:
Baby #2 Due Soon

• Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are expecting their second child together, most likely arriving this summer. This does not fall into the typical SWOT categories but it is important to integrate Rihanna’s schedule. While she might make it to a MET Gala attendance, she likely won’t be publicly active during the summer for the Savage X Fenty and Fenty Skin anniversaries. I am purposely focusing all activities on Q3 and Q4, using the September 8th as the overall Fenty brand anniversary