Christmas in October.
Christmas in October.
Why beauty brands are launching holiday campaigns earlier than ever.
There’s going to be a high of 78°F in New York City today. The election is around the corner. And beauty brands are telling you it’s time to start buying holiday gifts.
Glossier has slowly been rolling out holiday copy and products (they’re dropping new gifting items every Tuesday, which I think is smart). Sephora’s homepage features holiday sets from Summer Fridays, LANEIGE, and and Saie. And this week, haircare brand Crown Affair launched their holiday sets. Crown Affair’s brand heat has been rising for me this year — I knew about the brand before they even launched, but something shifted in the way I thought about them in the last few months.
I started seeing their signature green scrunchies on women’s wrists on the subway, and their campaign imagery became pleasantly cohesive. In their holiday campaign, I particularly enjoyed the sound effects and preciseness of references (like using stationery from Chateau Marmont to signal that their mini products are meant to be used while traveling).
Yesterday I texted Dianna Cohen, the founder and CEO of Crown Affair, to learn more about the brand’s holiday campaign, how marketing themselves in Sephora is different than their DTC strategy, and a new hire that made it all possible. Dianna and Elise Valentine, Crown Affair’s VP of Sales and Marketing (who spent nine years of her career at Sephora!), answered the questions below.
Today’s letter also includes: a dispatch from The Row’s sample sale at 4:45 this morning, a sponsored collaboration between two newsletters that I love, and The Cut’s experimentation with editorializing their homepage.
An interview with Crown Affair’s CEO Dianna Cohen, and VP of Sales and Marketing, Elise Valentine.
EMILY: As a consumer, what about holiday sets and bundles has frustrates you? What makes them great?
CROWN AFFAIR: “What frustrates me with holiday sets are when they feel wasteful or gimmicky. For example, when it has excessive packaging and unnecessary extras that don’t really add value.
What I think makes a good holiday set is when it includes a "Hero" Product: The standout item that truly represents the brand's essence and excellence. It’s the product that customers are obsessed with and that new customers can fall in love with, embodying the brand’s unique value proposition.
Be purposeful and thoughtful: There is a story behind the set. Every item in the set should serve a function or enhance the experience, without feeling like an afterthought. It's a gift that feels carefully curated, not cluttered with extras just for the sake of filling space. The creative feels connected to the brand DNA vs chasing a trend or theme.”
“Our merchandising strategies for Sephora vs. DTC are different, as performance can vary by channel. Sephora is a busy, loud, party-like environment, so the customer's attention span is short.”