Jeffree Star – Master Salesman
Following the recent Shane Dawson docuseries which went behind the scenes of Jeffree Star Cosmetics and showed the journey of the Conspiracy Palette and collection launch, many noted that this served as a unique marketing tool. The collection, upon release, quite literally, broke the internet, causing the commerce platform Shopify to crash due to the unprecedented amount of traffic to sites. While a lot were successful at purchasing the collection, many fans were left disappointed as it sold out within an hour of release.
While Star’s products historically have performed well when launched, usually selling out, the amount of buzz around this collections release is something that has never been seen, not only for his brand but also for the cosmetics industry.
As mentioned, the six-part series was a follow up to Dawson’s previous docuseries on Star and was billed as a look into what went on behind the scenes in the industry. The series showed the complete manufacturing process of a cosmetics collection from initial ideas, formulation, packaging design, product launch and the aftermath.
The reception to this series was mostly positive, providing a never before seen and unique insight to the cosmetic manufacturing process. However, it also drew some criticism from both fans and sceptics, who considered the series to be something of an extended sales pitch of ‘infomercial’.
Star is arguably a great salesman. He has grown a multimillion-dollar business empire, capitalising on his success as a musician from the Myspace Era and has attracted a large number of fans via his YouTube channel. He is known for his frank and honest opinions on cosmetic released, using his motto ‘Jeffree Star Approved’ to endorse those products he likes and as such, his frank opinions have led to conflict with individuals and brands within the industry.
When reviewing previous product launch videos and the aforementioned docuseries, two distinct marketing techniques are often used by Star; bandwagon and snob appeal. Bandwagon appeal works on the promise to consumers that they are missing out by not purchasing this product and that everyone else will be buying it, while snob appeal works in the exact opposite way by appealing to consumers’ superiority insecurities and grandiose sense of self. Despite these two opposite appeals, Star manages to blend both of these tactics seamlessly in his marketing approach.
For snob appeal examples, a tactic Star often uses is to continually bring to the viewers’ attention the high quality of his products, how everything from the packaging to the formulation is made from the best available materials. He even takes pains to point out to Dawson in the series, that because he refuses to compromise on quality, his profit margin is lower in comparison to other brands; which serves the dual purpose of driving home the superiority of his products compared to his competitors but also endearing him to consumers, as he cares more about customer satisfaction than making money. He uses indirect methods to compare his products more favourably to those of his competitors by making claims such as these.
Star often states that “everyone lives” for his products, using the bandwagon effect to show that if everyone else does, you will too. He often intermixes this with statements of how he has perfect formulas for his products, thereby intermixing both bandwagon and snob appeal.
Despite Star having a problematic personal life, his marketing strategies clearly work. With a net worth of $75 million and an ever-growing business empire, he shows no signs of slowing down. Regardless of any negative perceptions towards his as a person, his products re of a high standard and he is clearly heavily involved in all aspects of his cosmetics brand. It’s this personal approach that is rarely seen from other brands that is, at least in party, systemic to his success as a businessman and which will continue to help his company in any future endeavours.