A Groundbreaking New Product
If we were to mention the most successful social media marketing case recently, it would undoubtedly be the launch of the new product – phone case, by Hailey Bieber’s beauty brand Rhode. Released on February 28, 2024, this phone case immediately caused a stir in the market, becoming an extremely successful marketing strategy. Priced at $35, this phone case features a unique design with grooves and a silicone texture. Despite its seemingly ordinary appearance, the design concept of this phone case is very clever: it is specifically designed to accommodate Rhode’s best-selling lipsticks, providing a convenient storage space. Considering that women usually carry lipstick when going out, this phone case offers users a convenient solution by allowing them to directly place their lipstick on the back of their phone, avoiding the hassle of losing it, similar to phone cases with card slots for carrying credit cards. Currently, this phone case is only compatible with iPhone 15 and iPhone 14 series, and is available in only one color, a light gray consistent with the brand color.
The Clever Marketing Strategy Behind
Behind this design lies a very clever marketing strategy. Rhode’s lipsticks come in a variety of colors, and if users want to make their plain phone case look more fashionable, they can purchase lipsticks in different colors to match. At the same time, once the lipstick is used up, if users want to continue using this beautiful phone case, they must repurchase the lipstick. With the lipstick priced at $16, users need to purchase at least one lipstick to use this phone case, forming a bundling pricing strategy. Imagine when consumers carry this phone and take pictures in front of a mirror, their friends around them will also see the phone case, thus increasing the product’s exposure and marketing effectiveness through relationship triggers.
Precise Marketing Strategy
Rhode employs a scarcity marketing strategy, selling out the phone case within 25 minutes of its launch, and the next release may not be until early April. This keeps customers constantly checking Rhode’s page to ensure they don’t miss the next release. In addition to paid triggers on paid channels, in terms of marketing, Hailey also leverages the celebrity effect for market promotion. With her 51 million followers, she not only continuously posts photos of the phone case on her page, but also gets celebrities with hundreds of millions of followers to promote it on Instagram. Celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner, Madison Beer, Justin Bieber, and others have participated in her social media marketing activities. Subsequently, fashion opinion leaders from different social media platforms around the world began to introduce and promote Rhode’s products, and these videos quickly spread on the internet, undoubtedly having a positive impact on the Rhode brand. These fashion bloggers have driven global attention to Hailey’s Rhode brand products, undoubtedly serving as earned triggers for people.
Social Media Performance
According to Rhode’s data on Instagram, they posted on February 13th announcing the launch of the phone case on the 27th. The post received about 460,000 likes; a nearly 15-fold increase compared to the usual 15,000 to 50,000 likes. This data not only indicates the success of Rhode’s brand in marketing, but also reflects the popularity of the product design. At the same time, Rhode’s fan base grew by 15.9% compared to the previous month. Starting from February 13th, Rhode’s fan base began to grow rapidly, and the number of likes surged from the product preview on February 13th to the official product release on February 27th. This data is sufficient to illustrate people’s attention to the product and the brand’s influence. Rhode’s performance on social media not only adds evidence to the success of its marketing strategy but also lays a solid foundation for its future development.
Recommendations for Rhode’s Future Development
The success of Rhode’s phone case and lipsticks could potentially become another iconic product like the Stanley Cup. To further enhance the attractiveness and market influence of the product, it is recommended that Rhode introduce phone cases in different colors, targeting mainly female customers, offering colors like light pink, light blue, and more lipsticks shades. Additionally, Rhode should consider expanding the compatibility of phone cases, not limited to just the iPhone 14 and 15 series, but also introducing styles compatible with iPhone 14 series and even Android phones, to meet a wider range of consumer needs. Fans in the comments section have expressed interest in Rhode phone cases, but due to their phone model not meeting the requirements, they are unable to make purchases, so expanding compatibility can further increase product sales. Furthermore, Rhode should continue to collaborate with fashion bloggers to increase brand awareness and recognition. Through partnerships with fashion industry partners, Rhode phone cases and lipsticks will be recognized by more people as a fashion symbol, further solidifying the brand’s position in the market. By continuously strengthening brand awareness, Rhode can subtly convince consumers that their products are not just beauty products, but also fashion symbols, thereby further enhancing product sales and brand influence.
