Bringing Korean Beauty to the mainstream- with JOAH and Kiss Inc

  • Liamara Caesar

THE CHALLENGE


In 2018, KISS Products Inc. launched JOAH Beauty, a new Korean beauty-inspired cosmetics line available exclusively online. Through its identity as a skin-centric, socially conscious and 100% cruelty-free, JOAH Beauty has had a remarkable journey, quickly becoming an award-winning makeup, hair and skincare brand.
From June 2021, JOAH Beauty wanted to leverage the power of TikTok to drive awareness for their new beauty product range among Gen Z and Millennial consumers in the USA. A key focus for the client was to align bespoke content creation with their brand values; JOAH empowers women with smarter beauty options, and views the makeup industry as a self-love experience.

As account manager, I was responsible for producing a bespoke TikTok influencer marketing strategy. The TikTok activations facilitated the launch of five new makeup products added to their beauty range.

APPROACH

Step 1: Identifying the Influencers

Every influencer marketing strategy is underpinned by actionable data, so for every campaign, we leverage our industry leading platform Bytesights to make insightful decisions. Specifically, we used our Creator Identification tool to discover a range of micro, mid and macro influencers from a range of communities including makeup, skincare, lifestyle and comedy.

Based on real-time data, our exclusive Bytesights tool allows us to present an unparalleled selection of potential content creators for brands to easily collaborate with. In addition, we can also provide insights into what Gen Z is thinking, talking and posting about; meaning we can predict trends before they happen.

Step 2: Building an Ambassadors Programme

Another key component for this campaign’s success was the implementation of our Ambassadors Programme. Our carefully selected ambassadors posted bespoke TikTok content regularly to help drive continuous brand awareness and credibility. The success of this programme demonstrates the importance of building a rapport with influencers and their communities in order to establish brand trust and awareness over months. Currently, this programme is performing at over 3x the guaranteed view rate at approximately 700k views per month.

Step 3: Harnessing Paid Amplification

Finally, to ensure that we met the client’s goal to grow their TikTok community, we optimised our content to drive the best results by harnessing paid amplification. By utilising TikTok Spark Ads, it provided a superb opportunity to boost the best performing posts. This enabled us to amplify existing organic videos to fit the client’s campaign objectives with flexibility and efficiency.


THE RESULTS

We exceeded industry standards, driving over 14 million views and a 14% engagement rate for branded content on TikTok. In addition, our ongoing Ambassador Programme is performing over 3x the guaranteed view rate at approximately 700k views per month.

WHAT BRANDS CAN LEARN FROM JOAH?

“It’s time for beauty brands to embrace imperfection.”
The phenomenal success of this campaign with JOAH Beauty demonstrates the importance of creating long-term influencer marketing strategies to drive the most impactful and lasting results. Equally, the incorporation of the Ambassador Programme in our strategy has elevated JOAH’s community presence on TikTok generating both brand and product awareness.

By harnessing our Social Listening and Creator Identification tool, Bytesights, and leveraging the latest TikTok Trends using our data-led insights, we were able to collaborate with the best global TikTok influencers to produce bespoke content.

Ultimately, our collaboration with JOAH Beauty highlights the future for beauty brands aiming to target a Gen Z and Millennial audience on a global scale. Our industry insights show that there has been a cultural shift within this market. Brands can no longer rely on air-brushed images of all too perfect models or cliche adverts – nor should they. Instead, younger generations want to engage with relatable, fun and diverse content that authentically reflects themselves and their peers. According to Gen Z, it’s time for beauty brands to embrace imperfection if they want consumers to truly resonate with their content.