Blog Post 9-7/27/2020
Beauty’s Bet on Gaming 🎮
Gaming has long been a favorite pastime for all ages and genders. When COVID struck and the quarantine lockdown began, gaming quickly became a huge part of accessible entertainment that many people already had prior to quarantine. According to Forbes, gaming revenue was up 73% in April 2020 over April 2019. And May 2020 was up 53% over May of 2019. With not much else to do, gaming quickly rose in the rankings of ways to spend your time.
I want to highlight a few things I’ve been seeing over the past few months around beauty brands and gaming.
Animal Crossing
Glossier “G” Hoodie in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been the unsung hero of quarantine. The game debuted in March 2020 on Nintendo Switch and has become an international phenomenon whose fandom has exponentially multiplied since its release. Aside from escaping the real world and numerous other perks, this game offers players the ability to have complete control over the look of their character. Fashion brands like Marc Jacobs, Anna Sui, Louis Vuitton and more have tapped into this and have created digital versions of real pieces from their lines and made them available for free via QR codes.
Known for their effortlessly-cool-girl vibe in both their products and merchandise, Glossier’s iconic pink hoodie has found its way into the game. But why are they participating in Animal Crossing, you may ask? The brand said on their instagram “ WHY: Because our digital selves should get the same perks as our IRL selves.”
Givenchy Beauty is the latest brand to join the Animal Crossing game. Players can now wear some of the brand’s most coveted beauty products like Prisme Libre Loose Powder, kiss marks created in Le Rouge Lipstick shades, and tiny hearts created with Phenomen'Eyes liner.
M·A·C
The Sims 4
M·A·C most recently teamed up with The Sims 4. M·A·C’s Director of Makeup Artistry Romero Jennings worked with the game to create 12 makeup looks. According to the news release, “the new styles include four eye shadows, two eyeliners, two blushes, and four lipsticks in a multitude of M·A·C-inspired hues.” Creating makeup looks for in-game play is a first for both M·A·C and The Sims. Both companies explain their similar brand identities is why this partnership works so well. Romero said, “M·A·C’s product portfolio and brand ethos is based off of All Ages, All Races, All Genders, and encourages powerful use of your imagination. Self-expression in makeup is huge, and customization through The Sims is just as major.”
M·A·C x Sims 4
Honor of Kings
The partnership with The Sims isn’t M·A·C’s first foray into the gaming world. In February 2019, M·A·C released 5 limited edition lipsticks around the game Honor of Kings exclusively in China. M·A·C China marketing director Weng Yanling shared that they noticed players frequently mentioned the brand name M·A·C when creating lip colors for their virtual characters in the game. This initial collection sold out within 24hrs. (Jing Daily) Doubling down on the successful partnership, M·A·C followed up with a second collection in May 2020, this time expanding the products to include eyeshadow palettes, highlighters in addition to lipsticks. (Chic Profile)
TwitchCon
Twitch is the leading livestream site for gamers. It hosted its annual Con in late September 2019 where M·A·C was the first beauty brand to exhibit at TwitchCon. M·A·C continues to be ahead of the trend when it comes to this untapped, niche audience. Aside from virtual makeup, another aspect of gaming cons include cosplay, where participants dress up in costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. This is a huge opportunity for M·A·C to step into.
Beauty brands within gaming couldn’t be better timed, not only are people able to wear looks that they wouldn’t wear IRL, people are actually interacting with the brands for the first time since pre-quarantine. We’re not really seeing makeup trends because no one is wearing makeup and no one has anywhere to go. Partnering and collaborating within the gaming space offers a way for beauty brands to stay relevant and top of mind. Expect to see more of this and new, innovative ways to integrate into the gaming world.