Dive Brief:
- Sephora and TikTok on Monday announced a new partnership to help new brands grow on the social media platform. The Sephora x TikTok Incubator Program will connect TikTok creators to brands from Sephora’s DEI-focused Accelerate program, which began in 2016 and offers resources and mentorship to new and emerging brands.
- Overall, 12 brands are ultimately expected to participate and have the opportunity to learn social content strategies. Topicals, Eadem and Hyper Skin, three brands from Sephora’s 2021 accelerator cohort, will lead the launch of the incubator program.
- Marketing agency Digitas will also work with Sephora and TikTok to create “campaigns that invest in diversity,” the beauty retailer said.
Dive Insight:
Understanding and leveraging creator-led social media is critical for beauty brands’ success, according to Sephora.
"Brands that have a savvy understanding of creator-led social media and creator relations have a clear advantage in not only conceptualizing beauty content that resonates with their audience but also in building genuine connections,” Brent Mitchell, Sephora’s vice president of marketing, social and influencer, said in the announcement.
Sephora said brands participating in the new partnership will have an opportunity to hear from popular creators like Amy Chang, Rocio Lopez-Jimenez and Nyma Tang. They’re part of #BeautyTok, a part of the social platform where positivity and empowerment are celebrated, according to TikTok.
"The future of brand storytelling lies in the hands of multicultural creators, and by championing diverse creators, brands can unlock their full potential on TikTok," Soniya Monga, head of U.S. agency partnerships for TikTok, said in an announcement.
TikTok, which claims over 1 billion monthly active users, says authenticity and self-expression are “shaping the future of beauty culture with every video they post.” At the same time, the platform is under ongoing scrutiny. A rising number of local, state and national governments are moving to ban TikTok over security and political concerns.
Sephora’s business strategy has focused on efforts to expand its assortment with up-and-coming brands built by a diverse group of people. The retailer also has sought to become a wholesale partner for many DTC brands, like Nutrafol and Proven, and is often a first-time or exclusive retail partner for brands.
The retailer, which is part of LVMH, offers thousands of products from more than 360 brands in stores, online and through its app. Ahead of the recent holiday season, Sephora also introduced a $49 annual same-day delivery subscription offer.
Last summer, the company expanded its shop-in-shop deal with Kohl's to include all of the department store's locations, with a goal of growing the store-in-store footprint to 850 locations this year. Globally, Sephora has over 2,700 stores. Kohl's in August said the partnership may drive $2 billion in annual sales by 2025.
