The event lets companies see just how their social media and digital initiatives stack up next to those of their beauty industry peers.
Digital champions
Here are this year’s #beauty20 award winners.
- Best Twitter: MAC Cosmetics
- Best Facebook: Mary Kay
- Best Pinterest: Mary Kay
- Best Instagram: Bath & Body Works
- Best App: Sephora to go
- Best YouTube Channel: Mary Kay
- Best eCommerce Website: Sephora
- Best Beauty Startup: eSalon
- Best Technology: JeNu
- Best Beauty Brand Online: Sally Hansen
The Best Instagram category had the highest number of nominations. That visual, digital channel is very influential in beauty. A fact illustrated by brands like Anastasia Beverly Hills, Nudestix, and the retailer #, a New York City shop that sells only beauty products the founder discovers on Instagram.
And it’s worth noting that consumer votes put the Sephora to go app in the winners’ circle, ahead of L’Oreal Makeup Genius.
Skills and techniques
Digital happens fast and is massively influential. Sample-sized sound bites and memorable quips go along way for beauty brands putting technology to good use. In keeping with the nature of the business, honorees gave short speeches “5 words or less… to keep it exciting and easy to share on social media networks,” explains the innoCos press item.
Here’s a handful that capture the moment:
Bath & Body Works, accepting the award for Best Instagram, "Thanks for making fragrance fun"
Sephora, for Best App, "App domination since 2010"
Mary Kay, upon winning Best Youtube Channel ,"You can play that again"
JeNu, picking up the Best Technology award, "Its pronounced genou. Thank you"
Sally Hansen, for Best Beauty Brand Online,"Thankful #sallyhansenthanksyou #staypolished"
Customer analytics
The #beauty20 awards are determined by a team of judges, who narrow the nominees, and by consumers, voting online to choose the winners. More than 300 entries came in this year, and during the month of consumer voting, the Global Cosmetics Team tallied over 16,000 votes.
There are, of course, nearly as many ways to measure the success and ROI of digital as there are platforms. This summer, for instance, NetBase released its annual report reflecting social consumer sentiment about personal care and beauty brands.
That social analytics firm showed what the big brands are doing best and which brands from industries altogether separate from beauty consumers have invited into the beauty conversation.
Explaining the crossover appeal of brands like Nike, Cosmetics Design observed, “fitness and lifestyle brands are very on trend with consumers keen to live their best healthy, beautiful lives.”
Consumer votes and data from diverse technologies come together to inform brand strategy and often reveal opportunities to do digital right in original ways.