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Case
| HBS Case Collection
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January 2019
(Revised October 2019)
Glossier: Co-Creating a Cult Brand with a Digital Community
by
Jill Avery
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Abstract
Glossier’s proclaimed strategy was “born from content; fueled by community.” The digital-first, direct-to-consumer beauty brand had experienced rapid growth, with sales up 600% in 2017 and a customer portfolio that grew by threefold. But, its founder, Emily Weiss, was not complacent. Instead, she dreamed of creating the world’s first socially driven brand that inserted its community into the buying experience so that the company was merchandising people, their opinions, and their content, just as much as they were merchandising products. As her team debates marketing strategies for 2018, they recognize the opportunities and challenges associated with managing Glossier’s rapidly scaling brand community. While the community’s support had emerged organically in the past, the team was now debating whether the company’s next phase of growth would need to be fueled by a greater emphasis on paid peer-to-peer sales representatives, professional influencer marketing, paid media, and a physical market presence.
Keywords: Brands;
brand management;
brand communication;
retailing;
e-commerce;
DTC;
influencer;
digital marketing;
social media;
Startup;
internet marketing;
big data;
crowdsourcing;
Marketing;
Marketing Channels;
Marketing Communications;
Brands and Branding;
Marketing Strategy;
Entrepreneurship;
Venture Capital;
Consumer Behavior;
Distribution;
Growth and Development Strategy;
Consumer Products Industry;
Beauty and Cosmetics Industry;
Retail Industry;
United States;
North America;
