Shane Dawson x Jeffree Star: Conspiracy

First post of 2020! Today I wanted to talk about something I came across the other day that I hadn't really interacted with when it first hit the internet. Shane Dawson's The Beautiful World of Jeffree Star series brought to light the world of Youtube and beauty influencers, and the cosmetics industry. It delved deep into the life of Jeffree Star, a youtube influencer who is known for being in feuds with other internet stars, and being controversial. However, the series shed light on the hard-working, dedicated professional who has built an unbelievably successful cosmetics business from nothing.

However, for this post I want to talk about the Jeffree Star Cosmetics collaboration with Shane Dawson-- Conspiracy. The 17 piece cosmetic collection broke the internet, literally. Within minutes of the launch going live, all vendors (Jeffreestar.com, morphe.com, beautybay, etc.) were experiencing significant difficulties, with websites crashing, check-out taking a number of hours despite being at the best capacity possible and the collection sold out incredibly quickly. Undoubtedly, the collection is of high quality, emphasising the value and care that Jeffree Star Cosmetics take in their products. However, I want to explore the highly valuable use of social media/influencer marketing that played a significant role in the huge success of the launch.

The collaboration between these two Youtubers began in June 2017 with a collab on Jeffree's youtube channel. However, just over 4 months ago, Shane Dawson released the first of a number of videos detailing the whole process of the make-up collaboration. What was so interesting about this series was not only the fact we were getting to see two rather unexpected influencers work together, but actually that we were getting one of our first decent insights into the process of conceptualising and producing a make-up collection.

I personally believe it was the documentation of this whole process that propelled the collection to the highest heights. Breaking Jeffree Star Cosmetic records, the collection sold out completely on the day of its launch, with many consumers using multiple platforms to get their hands on the amazing collection. The whole process and hype built around these products as a result of the use of social media is genuinely incredible, and just shows the power of the internet.

I really do believe that the changing trend in how people consume media is having a significant impact on how marketing is received. This whole series and collaboration illustrates the changing attitudes towards influencers, and how being genuine and honest speaks volumes over being manufactured.

What do you think?