-L’Oreal USA CMO Marie Gulin-Merle

Beauty shoppers watch tutorials to stay on trend

Video is also a must-have beauty tool. There are millions of makeup-related searches on YouTube, and those searches are on the rise; we saw a 36% rise this summer year-over-year. Many people are looking for tutorials. "We find that consumers are always looking for help on how to get a look or how to tap into a new trend," says Gulin-Merle, "so simple, easy-to-follow tutorials are generally successful, particularly when they relate to a new trend or product." In fact, tutorials on makeup are viewed more than any other kind of tutorial on YouTube. Seventy percent of beauty purchasers said that YouTube videos, especially how-tos and product visualizations, influence what they decide to buy (TNS/Ogilvy/Google "Path to Purpose Research," May 2014).

To keep tabs on what's new throughout the year, Gulin-Merle's team has made data core to its marketing. "Search and YouTube trends play a big part at the start of our strategy," she says. "We look into how consumers search and what they are searching for. We look at these trends constantly as a good measure of consumer interest and intent."

L'Oreal also collaborates with influential creators on YouTube. "Working with YouTube influencers allows the brand to reach an elusive audience that's crucial to the growth of the business in a very authentic and credible way," says Gulin-Merle. Indeed, authenticity is the key. "We don't try to change the way the influencers communicate with their audiences—that's what makes them successful."