Tennis champion Serena Williams is using the 2024 U.S. Open as a big marketing opportunity to kick-start her latest business venture.
The retired tennis champion subtlely wore $192 worth of makeup at the U.S. Open from Wyn Beauty, her cosmetics brand that launched in April of this year.
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The U.S. Open is known for having a star-studded guest list composed of some of the most prominent figures in pop culture, and Williams made sure to take advantage of her influential contacts.
Beforehand, Williams made sure to stock her suite with Wyn Beauty products and invited celebrities and influencers to try them out during the event and promote them on their social media platforms.
Using social media as a viral promotional tool, Williams' makeup artist, Keita Moore, also seized the opportunity and posted a picture on X of Williams' makeup look featuring her beauty line.
The post went viral within minutes, and Williams' fans flooded the comment section with praise for her glam and made multiple mentions of the beauty line.
The booming U.S. beauty industry
The beauty industry, composed of cosmetics, skincare, and fragrances, continues to be one of the highest-growing markets in the U.S. despite consumers' more conscious approach to shopping in recent years.
The beauty industry's U.S. market was estimated to be worth nearly $63 billion in 2023 alone, and its expected annual growth rate is approximately 6.1% from 2023.
This growing market in the U.S. contributes to around 21.3% of the total global cosmetic revenue, with Gen Z being the main driving force behind its growth.
Although in-store beauty sales continued to take the lead, accounting for nearly 71.2% in 2023, online beauty sales are on a continuous incline and are expected to grow by 7.1% from 2024 to 2030.
The power of social media virality to drive business
Williams' strategic use of social media is a great way to propel her beauty business forward and develop potential sales growth in the future.
Social media has become one of the main advertising channels for beauty products. It can easily reach the masses faster than traditional communication outlets, and its virality can make products go from unknown to global household names almost instantly.
According to a recent study, two in three beauty shoppers say they discover new products through influencers, and 42% say they would buy products promoted by an influencer.
Top celebrity beauty brands, such as Kylie Cosmetics by Kylie Jenner, Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez, and Fenti Beauty by Rihanna, all have a prominent social media presence and utilize influencers and celebrities to promote their products online.
Promoting products through the use of social media personalities is also cost-effective, with brand partnerships costing 25 times less than paid digital media.
U.S. Open attendance to create brand awareness
Williams used her multiple years participating in the U.S. Open and some trend predictions to formulate a fail-proof marketing strategy.
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The U.S. Open is currently one of the most talked-about events in the U.S., with a record attendance of 74,641 on this year's opening day.
The tennis event is also a prominent topic on social media platforms, with approximately 118.3K TikTok posts and 1.6 million Instagram posts using the #USOpen.
As seen on Wyn Beauty's Instagram-tagged page, the brand has multiple influencer posts promoting the makeup line, each with thousands of likes and comments from loyal followers mentioning the brand.
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