First, a social experiment.
Go on either Facebook or Instagram, and type ‘FabFitFun’ in the search box. This is a fashion and beauty subscription-based company.
Once the social app gives you results, try to refresh your entire interface and you will begin to notice similar companies showing on your feed. Boxycharm, Curateur, IPSY, Birchbox, Alltrue, Ellie Activewear, Martha Stewart Wine Co., Sephora Favorites, Allure Beauty Box, and many more will begin to be regular visitors when you scroll.
Direct-to-consumer companies have certainly taken off in the past decade. But if we do a fashion flashback, we will see a brand called JewelMint, which starts in October of the year 2010. This is a celebrity-backed jewelry-subscription service with a tie-up with an up-and-coming actress and a darling of the fashion press — Ms. Kate Bosworth.
Do you remember JewelMint?
Interestingly, influencers, bloggers, and content creators did not create the business term for the word ‘collaboration’. It is always a celebrity who helmed this in the sales and marketing world, even prior to the popularity of social and digital media.
JewelMint is a perfect example of a complete celebrity collaboration (i.e. Kate Bosworth) that markets a monthly jewelry subscription service that is launched by the parent company BeachMint. Their business uses a marketing model that utilizes celebrity names, not only as being a brand spokesperson, but to also have them appear as collaborators or co-designers.
Right behind JewelMint’s successful launch, BeachMint creates the T-shirt and clothing line called ‘StyleMint’ of Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen. And soon to follow is Rachel Bilson’s ShoeMint’, Jessica Simpson’s BeautyMint, Justin Timberlake’s HomeMint, as well as many others.
What makes the celebrity-collaboration brand appealing?
Kate Bosworth is a stunning actress with the most interesting facial features, particularly her retina! She is one of the few in this world born with heterochromia iridium. This is when one eye is blue and the other a light hazel brown. After her breakthrough portrayal of a surfer in the film ‘Blue Crush’, Kate’s acting career takes off. She steals the spotlight portraying Bobby Darin’s love interest Sandra Dee in the biopic ‘Beyond the Sea’. And she is cast in the blockbuster film Superman Returns as the famous love-interest report Lois Lane.
Aside from her acting, her sense of style is also receiving positive attention and accolades from the fashion press and prominent designers. Ms. Bosworth has a knack for mixing vintage pieces with casual and runway fashion. So it comes to no surprise that she is often classified as the millennial generation’s style icon.
Video by JewelMint | Kate Bosworth shares her strong interest in fashion, which gives JewelMint customers an inside look as to why she is a co-designer of the brand. This information allows the followers of the brand to share the story and create curiosity among their network.
It becomes inevitable that a forward-thinking online retail platform, such as BeachMint, which is owned by MySpace co-founder Josh Berman, would look to her as a partner in launching a business. And to add additional fashion credence, Cher Coulter, a prominent and award-winning celebrity stylist and Kate’s friend, would be her design partner.
The beginnings of ‘Influencer Marketing’ in the digital space
The concept is pure genius. Create a jewelry shopping members-only club at the mere cost of a $29.99 monthly fee, which includes shipping, handling, and free returns. This will avail a member a piece of JewelMint jewelry, specifically ‘designed’ or ‘inspired by other vintage pieces’ by Kate Bosworth. With a piece of trinket that is branded with an A-list Hollywood actress at an affordable price, who wouldn’t want to be in on this deal?
How JewelMint’s subscription-based model works. This social direct-to-consumer platform would pave the wave for other businesses such as The Honest Co. by Jessica Alba, ShoeDazzle, Rachel Zoe’s Box of Style, and other celebrity-backed fashion service brands.
As the face of the brand and being marketed as a co-designer, Kate Bosworth will utilize popular social media channels via videos on the JewelMint website, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter to continuously create buzz. This different kind of advertorial, which is the use of celebrity image and influence to highlight limited-edition items creates an appeal to fashionistas. This is influencer marketing.
Hence, JewelMint’s business model and marketing approach can be considered a pioneer of social selling, direct-to-consumer fashion business model, influencer collaborations, and digital marketing. They pave the way for the blueprint on how a business is ‘advertised’ to consumers using all means of digital platforms.
And in the years to come, you will find this pattern of work, along with the proliferation of advanced social tools and software apps, is mimicked by influencers and content creators in their collaboration deals and in publicizing products for brands.
Video by JewelMint | Instead of a commercial, Kate has a post on YouTube on her trip to Europe wearing her beloved JewelMint pieces. It creates a ‘relatable’ image to consumers that these jewel pieces are fun, whimsy, and very wearable.
Video by JewelMint | Similar to YouTube fashion influencers, Kate talks about why her earrings are her favorite, what started the idea of this design, and why it is a must-have piece. By having a ‘vlogging’ type of conversation with the viewer, Kate becomes a ‘reachable’ celebrity, which makes her JewelMint line more appealing and unique.
Video by JewelMint | Talking about the ‘design’ aspect of a piece of jewelry and how it can be styled gives a captivating ‘story’ to this trinket. It adds a captivating element to hear, especially for a piece with an attainable price point.
While JewelMint’s social commerce strategy immediately gains traction and popularity, the company, unfortunately, meets its demise when the parent company BeachMint closes its operations in 2016. The various news outlet reports that the start-up social commerce implodes, burning through their cash in spending, and leaving many of their contractors unpaid.
Lessons from a pioneer’s past
What did not work for BeachMint is the creation of multiple celebrity-endorsed businesses that are run independently. They are edged out by newer competitions from subscription-based ShoeDazzle and JustFAB.
In retrospect, the price tag of celebrity collaboration deals is extremely pricey in comparison to other subscription-based businesses that rely on the surge of popularity of fashion bloggers, and soon vloggers. Most of these up-and-coming influencers would advertise for a song, such as complimentary products sent.
It is only in recent years that influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers would begin to command higher fees. But even then it is assumed they still command a lower compensation in collaboration deals in comparison to Hollywood actors and celebrities.
Video by JewelMint | JewelMint is a success in its initial year. However, parent company BeachMint would also launch other celebrity-endorsed ‘mint’ companies and burn through its cash for the additional infrastructure. JewelMint, one of two ‘mint’ companies that are profitable, would soon fold.
Today, we continue to see numerous direct-to-consumer fashion companies with social selling and influencer collaboration strategies. There are also better social media applications and the surge of photo and video platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.
And for those who prefer to be kickstarters in a digital selling business, there are infrastructure solutions like Shopify that make it very easy to set up shop. Bigger brands will continue to use the most popular influencers. And the smaller ones can still collaborate with those who have lesser than fifty thousand followers.
JewelMint and its sister companies may not have made it, but they certainly planted the seeds of a business model that will benefit the future infrastructure of similar social-selling businesses.
Did you like the Safety pin necklace from JewelMint?
I still have mine and it is my one of my favorite pieces to wear with a T and jeans!
Here are some selections that you can check out.
תגובות