Will Beyoncé’s Cécred become a global hair care powerhouse?

Source: Cécred

We do not count celebrity brands anymore. From Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty to Ariana’s R.E.M and Selena Gomez’s Rare beauty, celebrity brands are not just a trend, they are here to stay. Indeed, as the beauty industry is rising and set to go from $430 billion in revenue to $580 billion in 2027 (Mc Kinsey), celebrities have a clear advantage when starting one - a strong personal brand.

Arguably, Beyonce has one of the strongest. A superstar turned into the icon of an entire generation, Beyonce, the brand is a global powerhouse. Will we be able to say the same thing about her brand Cécred?

Source: Cécred

Tapping into a need: Hair care is the new skincare

Hair care is gaining more and more traction. Wella CEO’s Annie Young-Scrivner declared “Hair care is the new skincare.” She even predicted that consumers were about to intensify their daily routines. Indeed, we are witnessing a “skinfication” of hair care with the appearance of star ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, salicylic acid and microbiome. Previously used in skincare only, these ingredients are making their debut in haircare. If we add to that the stronger interest from Gen Z and Millenials in haircare, the haircare business case is quite strong.

“Textured” hair: an underserved market

The “textured” hair care industry is growing at an unprecedented pace. According to Syensqo, over 65% of the world’s consumer population, or about 1 billion consumers, has textured hair, which makes this multi-billion dollar business an enormous, untapped market opportunity. Specifically, women with textured hair spend 78% more on products than women with straight hair, on average. 

Not only do they spend more but they also converse more on social media. According to the Haircare gap, engagement surrounding textured hair online is reaching new heights with Type 4 peaking at 62% – that’s 8x more than other hair types. This combination makes that segment the perfect target for a haircare brand.

And, this is in that burgeoning landscape that Beyonce comes in with Cécred, a commercially promising brand.

Source: Cécred

Branding

Cécred has a strong identity. Not only does it start with Cé and therefore reminds us of Beyoncé but it also stands for sacred. The name itself has a very deep meaning going back to ancestrality and the ritual that haircare actually is, especially in African and afro-descendent communities. On top of starting off with a strong powerful name it is also deeply rooted in Beyonce’s personal story. Her first job was in her mother’s hair salon and she grew up surrounded by her family’s savoir-faire.

Source: Essence

Marketing

Source: Cécred

Beyonce dropped Cécred just like she drops albums, suddenly and unexpectedly. With an announcement / teaser thirteen days before launch she took nearly everyone by surprise but not her hardcore fans who would have remembered her mentioning a haircare project back in 2023. On the 20th, Cécred was launched and the campaign kickstarted. We started to see media headlines and obviously a plethora of  influencers’ reviews. While product reviews are already pouring in, this is also the time for an analysis of the execution of the campaign.

Source: Cécred

The Candice PR analysis

The marketing campaign worked. Everybody knows Beyonce launched a haircare brand. Beauty editors wrote about it and social media went crazy about it. So, we can clearly say that the core objective was reached. Yet, if we take a closer look, some areas could have been improved.

The pre-launch was rushed and didn’t build the hype. She used the same technique as she does with her music for her business. While it works for music, it may not work for beauty. Before buying a product, people want to connect with the brand more and understand its offering. Starting the activation and marketing campaign earlier would have given the time to build that connection.

While we can notice that there is some excitement around the brand and the products, the launch feels cold. This is a brand not merch. This means that simply dropping the products and teasing them in an Instagram video is not enough, it needs much more involvement, communications and promotion. This is a Beyonce brand, so we need first and foremost to see her promoting the products. For example, videos of her introducing the products with the story behind each of them would have created a stronger brand image and make the public connect with the brand more.

Source: Cécred

For Cécred to become a global powerhouse, it needs to truly be and feel global. As of now, it isn’t really the case both from a commercial and a marketing perspective. While the whole world knows that Beyonce released a haircare, this is mostly her global fanbase that is aware of it. So far, we haven’t seen any intensive local campaigns for markets other than the US. Do we have global ambassadors? Have we seen out-of-home activations in various markets? Any interviews targeted to markets other than the US? As of now, we haven’t seen that.

To become a global powerhouse, non-US markets need to be included in the promotion and need to be part of the marketing plans. Right now, they feel more like an after-thought. 

The Candice PR approach

I would have approached this launch campaign by doing what Beyonce does best, telling us a story and enabling us to live an experience. A series of artistic, cinematographic YouTube videos prior to the launch called “Cécred’s Hair Journey” would have been an efficient way to share with the public the journey to creating the brand.  At the intersection of a series and a documentary, the videos would go from the ideation, testing process, product design steps all the way until launch. 

The series would have kept the Beyonce essence - the art and storytelling - all while creating an emotional connection, building business credibility and public “hype”. This would have given us the opportunity to see Beyonce in a way that we never truly saw before - a businesswoman. Showing Beyonce talking with cosmetologists, sharing her views on product composition and product designs would have immensely impacted product perception and brand image in a positive way. The YouTube format would have enabled her to showcase the journey on her own terms and on her own platform.

Source: Cécred

Another staple of the campaign would have been credibility building. I identify three realms where credibility would be needed: the business realm, the cosmetic industry and the general public realm. 

In the business world, credibility is crucial and while she has a star status only very few have, she still needs to build her business credibility as these two are very different worlds. On top of the series showing her as a businesswoman I would have tapped into the power of PR and secure an interview in Forbes. To build cosmetic industry credibility, I would have called in Tina Knowles and secure interviews in cosmetic trade publications.  Having third parties endorse Beyonce as a businesswoman and Tina Knowles as an industry leader would have given the brand the credibility needed.

Regarding the general public I would have added events on top of the already heavy PR campaign. To launch the brand, an event with A-list celebrities could have taken place in Houston (Beyonce’s hometown to make the brand even more personal). Beyonce could have made a speech and the whole event could have been broadcasted on Cecred.com so they could already grow a database.

Cécred could also be an offline experience with a “Cécred Hair Tour” in four key global cities for a day where people can try the products and get their hair done by Beyonce’s hair stylist. Of course, it would be a book in advance and a highly selective event.

Regarding social media, it would be nice to make different aspects of the Beyonce universe work in sync and merge beauty with music. To promote Cecred, she could publish a video of her holding the product while having a hair makeover and doing a slight hair move at the end - all with Texas Hold’em song playing in the background. This signature move could go viral which would give more visibility to the product, and the song.

For Cécred to become a global powerhouse, it needs to be a commercial and marketing success.  Products need to be effective on all hair types which is already a great challenge in itself. The Cécred's team took it on by creating a new Patent-Pending Tech made of Bioactive Keratin, honey and lactobacillus ferment.

The question of logistics and distribution will also come into play. Will it only be available on her website or will it also be available in store? Making it available in stores would grow Cécred’s reach immensely. Will it be simple for her non-US fans to get their hands on the products? These are questions that need to be answered and business strategies that need reflection and action.

From a marketing perspective, to become a global powerhouse Cécred needs a global approach, stronger credibility and a stronger emotional bond. Yet, it is only the beginning, Beyonce and her team may have a lot of marketing surprises for Cécred.  Beyhive, hold the line!

Cécred's products are available on Cecred.com

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