The 6 marketing moves that made Rhode a beauty phenomenon
Ahead of Rhode’s arrival at Sephora stores across the region, we look at the brand’s best marketing moves so far.
It has been exactly three years since my friend and I embarked on the process of getting our hands on Rhode Lip Peptides. When I say “process,” I mean it: we had to find someone in the US or Canada willing to buy the products for us, then arrange for them to send or bring them over. It took longer than you might imagine. There were canceled orders and lost packages, and today it all sounds like an excessive amount of effort for a product that is not all that different from other lip glosses. For the two of us, though, it was worth it, if only to satisfy our curiosity. Three years and several products later, I can say that I will definitely keep buying some of them. But as my desire for them faded a little and the hype died down, I began thinking more seriously about the marketing behind the brand that persuaded consumers around the world to go to such lengths to get its products.
Of course, we cannot overlook the enormous role played by Hailey Bieber, the it girl behind the brand and the driving force behind countless fashion and beauty trends, or by the appealing aesthetic that has defined Rhode since its launch. Rhode also stood out from the start for its exceptionally thoughtful marketing, which certainly helped make it one of the most coveted beauty brands. On launch day alone, nearly half a million customers were on the waiting list, and that number surpassed a million in less than a year. All three original products sold out in just three days, and the brand reportedly generated as much as $10 million in sales in its first 11 days. With a start like that, it is hardly surprising that Rhode became one of the fastest-growing celebrity brands and was sold to e.l.f. last year for as much as $1 billion (although at the time of the acquisition, it had only around a dozen products and approximately $212 million in revenue). In many ways, the brand has lived up to the hype, as shown by the fact that 70% of its direct-to-consumer sales come from returning customers.
As Rhode continues to grow and finally arrives in Sephora stores across the region, let’s look back at a few ingenious marketing moves that helped make it a brand people would cross an ocean for.
Hailey Bieber’s involvement
From the beginning, Hailey Bieber has been more than the face of Rhode. She has positioned herself as someone deeply involved in every stage, from studying skincare and developing ideas to launching products. Celebrity brands often make the mistake of leaving the star seemingly disconnected from the product they are endorsing. Hailey, on the other hand, has long talked about her interest in skincare products and ingredients that support skin health. On her personal social media accounts, she has also given the impression that she genuinely uses Rhode products herself. Hailey has positioned Rhode so that the entire brand is built around her aesthetic and signature elements, such as luminous glazed skin and the clean girl look. As a result, Rhode now rests not only on her popularity but also on the credibility she has built through her knowledge, interests and personal experience with skincare.
Listening to consumers
However popular its founder may be, Rhode is a brand dedicated to its customers. Regularly sharing user-generated content is a good sign that a brand pays attention to its followers and customers, but Rhode has also distinguished itself by genuinely listening to what they need and want. When it launched its blush line, content creator Golloria George, who often speaks about the lack of inclusivity in the beauty industry’s shade ranges, posted a video saying that the Rhode Pocket Blush shades looked ashy on darker skin and that the brand still had work to do. The video went viral. Hailey then called Golloria personally, took responsibility and hired her to work with the team on two new shades suited to darker skin. Their collaboration continued when Rhode launched bronzers. Hailey’s response to the criticism can now be seen as one of the brand’s defining moves, both because Rhode has a more inclusive shade range and because it showed that customer feedback truly matters.
Sensory marketing
One of the first things that won me over to Rhode, and I suspect many other customers too, was its campaigns. Rhode has leaned heavily on sensory marketing, placing its products alongside treats such as cinnamon rolls, coffee and fruit. When shopping for beauty products online, we cannot feel their texture or smell them, even though those are often deciding factors in a purchase. Rhode addressed that problem from the outset by placing its products in settings that make you feel as though you can sense them, as though you can see their texture, shine and hydration before they even reach your vanity. This approach fits particularly well with Rhode’s broader identity as a brand selling products for hydrated, glazed skin.
Carefully curated drops
Rhode has cultivated a culture of limited drops from the beginning, entering the market with just three products. That gave the impression that the brand had devoted real attention to developing each one. It released products in smaller quantities, allowing them to sell out quickly, then paused before restocking. The operating model behind these drops is highly calculated and has changed little over the years: Rhode sends products directly to creators five days before the public sale, lets organic content flood audiences for 72 hours, then opens sales. A quick sellout becomes content in its own right. Customers who managed to “grab” the products often post videos celebrating the fact that they “got there in time,” while those who missed out wait for a restock. This is subtler than the usual “false scarcity” because it also makes operational sense (there is less risk of excess inventory), so it feels more authentic than brands that artificially restrict stock purely to generate hype.
Rhode also collaborates on many of its drops with the celebrities everyone is talking about at that moment, building even more excitement among customers. Earlier this year, Sarah Pidgeon starred in the campaign for a new Pocket Blush shade just as the internet was buzzing about her series Love Story and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s style. It was the first time Hailey had not been the face of a campaign, showing that the brand knows how to respond to the moment without compromising its identity. Rhode’s latest drop was created in collaboration with Alexandra LeClerc, an it girl in the spotlight for her style and natural beauty, making her another perfect fit for Rhode’s vision.
Products that market themselves
I truly believe Rhode’s phone case is one of the best marketing moves of recent years. Today it may seem like a microtrend that is no longer quite as cool as it was when it first launched (mainly because the brand now offers other ways to decorate a phone), but Hailey introduced it at exactly the right time. By designing a phone case specifically to hold a Rhode Lip Peptide, she created a product that practically advertises itself. We do not leave home without our phones. We always have them with us, and they are almost always in our hands. What better place could there be to put a product? Not only would everyone you know ask where you bought that cool (and practical) case holding your lip product, but every time you took a mirror selfie (and who does not love a good mirror selfie?), you would essentially be giving Rhode free publicity. At one point, Rhode cases and Lip Treatments seemed to be everywhere, used by every celebrity, which only drove customer demand higher. Add Justin Bieber’s lyrics, That’s my baby, she’s iconic/iPhone case, lip gloss on it, and you have one of this decade’s most popular phone cases.
Hailey has used a similar tactic with newer products, including eye patches bearing the Rhode logo, blemish patches (also shaped like the brand’s distinctive “r”) and the latest charm, created in collaboration with Alexandra LeClerc. Every Rhode product is photogenic and made for sharing on social media.
Pop-up stores
Over the past two years, Rhode has begun turning its carefully constructed visual world into physical experiences through pop-up stores and events. Last summer, I suspect many people felt FOMO over Rhode Beach Club in Mallorca, where the brand took over Gran Folies and decorated it with branded loungers, towels and ice cream to celebrate the launch of its Lemontini collection in the European market. This summer, we could experience Rhode’s world in person at Rhode Summer Station stores across Europe and North America, with the first stop, naturally, in Rhode Island. Each city offered exclusive products, and many fans closely followed where the next pop-up would appear. Rhode also won over visitors to this year’s Coachella with its creative vision at the “Rhode World” pop-up. It was a special invitation-only activation strategically timed to coincide with Justin’s performance at the festival. Many jokingly dubbed the exclusive event, dedicated to Rhode’s creativity, “Bieberchella” because of the Bieber family’s absolute dominance that weekend.
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