In recent years, the Beauty landscape has changed dramatically: everything from what, where, how, and even when consumers buy their Beauty, looks very different now vs. 10 or even 5 years ago.
As a result, Beauty companies have shifted the way they interact with their target audience – creating new job functions, skill sets, and demand for people with real expertise in these areas, to ensure their brands are evolving and delivering what the consumer now expects. This means potential career opportunities for you!
Here are just some of those trends, and the opportunities they open up for job-seekers.
DIGITAL
This area has rocketed in the past 10 years, starting with an early focus on website, social media and digital advertising, then evolving exponentially. Brand owners are looking for a blend of creative with analytical: for example, those who know how to create the best email campaigns, but can also provide in-depth analysis on opening and click-through rates, then make recommendations and adjust accordingly.
Increasingly, E-Commerce experience is being sought – not just by online Beauty retailers, who have become a channel themselves – but also by Beauty brands wanting to ensure their websites are going beyond product information, by also selling products.
Whereas the land of Digital was once viewed solely as the domain of the IT department, there are now opportunities for diverse functions – such as Marketing, PR, Communications -who have up-skilled into Digital, as well as for E-Commerce & Digital managers from other industries, looking to cross over into Beauty.
CHANGING RETAIL LANDSCAPE
While “online” as a distribution channel has been firmly established in recent years, the bricks-and-mortar landscape has also shifted, particularly with the opening of multi-brand, specialist Beauty retailers in the Australian market. These specialty stores, and increasingly some of the more established Beauty retailers, have a strong focus on the in-store customer experience, with hands-on demonstration and product trial. This means more opportunities for trained makeup artists, with a passion for Beauty and customer interaction, to find career pathways in the Beauty retail channel. And, having more Beauty advisory and sales staff means more people to be trained – hence the need for great brand and product trainers.
THE RISE OF LOCAL BRANDS
We’re seeing many Australian Beauty brands out there, and this creates career opportunities that come with the creation of a brand from scratch, vs. importing an existing one from overseas. When working for a local brand, almost all functions, from Product & Packaging Development, Marketing, Creative, through Supply Chain, require skills that are unique to a brand that’s developed locally. This provides the chance to build expertise in areas that one would not be exposed to whilst working on an international brand, where branding and product decisions are made at an overseas HQ.
CHANGING MEDIA & CONTENT CREATION
Not long ago, brand advertising consisted of magazine ads, outdoor and perhaps a TV commercial. That content would then be adapted for in-store and PR use, delivering a consistent message, with one-way communication. With the rise and evolution of social media, and the importance of influencers and dialogue in the brand marketing toolkit, the area of communications and content creation has become an ever more important function. Nowadays, brands need creative people to deliver more and different kinds of content: high visual impact, in much shorter timelines, still photography, and video including “live”. They also must be able to respond real-time in a brand conversation that is now two-way, and very much incorporate the audience as both consumer and influencer. This is a great opportunity area for those with a blend of strong communication and creative skills.
Whether you’ve been in Beauty for one year or ten, now is a great time to stretch your skills into these new and growing areas of the industry!
By Michelle Heaps and Erica Oroszlany, Managing Partners, BeautyConnections Australia
With 20+ years of experience – each – as Marketers in the Beauty Industry, Michelle & Erica bring a unique, insiders’ view – and network – to helping busy Beauty executives with their recruitment needs.
SYDNEY
Michelle Heaps, Managing Partner BeautyConnections Australia (02) 9432 7826
MELBOURNE
Erica Oroszlany, Managing Partner BeautyConnections Australia (03) 9607 1391