DPR5127 Public relations Trimester 1-2023/2024 Tittle: Exaplian how media relations can help public relations practitioner in building up the image and reputation of an organisation based on the fenty beauty at the super bowl Student’s name and ID: Nur Camellia Maisara Binti Khairuddin (1221104312) Aimy Zayana Binti Mohd Zaki (1221209051) Irdina Sofea Binti Suhaimi (1221208325) Puteri Qaleeda Binti Megat Shahriman (1221207253) Aliah Qistina binti Mustafa Afifi (1221204656) Lecture section:T2310 Name of the lecturer : Nurafiq Inani binti Man
1.Introduction: Fenty beauty is well known established brand that we’ve all heard of. Fenty beauty is famous for their inclusivity in their makeup products and the good quality product that they deliver to their consumers. The main point that will discussed in this report is how does how does media relation help the brand in building and maintaining relationship with the media and their consumers?. Next , what are the challenges that this brand has faced and how those challenges can be solved?. Furthermore, What are the role of public relations with complete explanation and lastly conclusion. 2.Importance of media relations: One of the key principles in media relation is transparent communication or in other words honest communication. The importance on transparent communication is stated by Gupta (2023) “It is the duty of public relations professionals to communicate with intention, making sure that each exchange creates a significant relationship, creates trust, and transmits a clear message”. From the statement above is clear that in media relation, communication is the base to building and maintaining a strong relationship. For instance, Fenty beauty has managed to build a strong relationship with their consumers by creating a social media account. By doing so, they can always share updates about their products easily. Furthermore, Fenty beauty also collabs with famous influencer that reviews their products. Some of the influencer that she has collaborated with are glamzilla, mangomoniica, madisonbaileybabe and evelynconversani. All that is mentioned are famous tik tok influencers. From this it’s obvious who are their target audience, Muliadi (2020) stated that “Users born after 1996 are referred to as Generation Z, and they make up more than 60% of the TikTok user base”. This shows that their main target audience are generation z. In addition to this, the founder of the brand, Rihanna has also conducted multiple interview with the media, Lang (2017) has
mentioned that “I'm fully invested in this process, which is what makes it unique and enjoyable”. Rihanna has said in an interview with Time Magazine. As a result of this, not only she is building a relationship with the media but also with the consumers. Her devotion into her brand gives her consumer a sense of trust knowing that she really invested her time and effort into her brand which not a lot of celebrities do. Second, accessibility. Accessibility means involving media relations such as journalist and informing them about the brand updates. By doing so, Fenty beauty can build relationship with both the media her consumers. For example, Rihanna has conducted many interviews with Forbes, Time Magazine and Elle in the early days of her brand. This is too create the awareness around her brand and build relationship with her consumer. As mentioned by Admin and Admin (2020) “An effective media relations strategy can increase your brand's awareness among target consumers. By securing favourable coverage in reputable media outlets, you can increase brand awareness by integrating media relations into your overall marketing communications strategy”. Moreover, tactical communication. It’s vital to understand that tactical communication is a must in order for a brand to boost their brand and build trust and relationship. As mentioned by Vasconcellos (2023) “deliberate and cohesive strategic communications raise the probability of accomplishing business objectives, such as improving revenue or enhancing image”. Take Fenty beauty as an example. The message behind her brand is inclusivity and breaking the boundaries. This message can strongly be seen in her makeup products. As mentioned by (Fenty Beauty + Fenty Beauty,n.d.) “accessible in fifty shades”. Inclusivity can help boost a brand sales and image. Likewise, fenty beauty has managed to established a good name and reputation in the beauty industry. As mentioned by Jain (2023) “With astounding $582 million in worldwide revenue, the brand is the richest brand in Cosmetify's top 10 ranking.”
Apart from this is, adaptability. A brand must know how to adapt themselves to new trends and what is currently trending in order to stay afloat and revelent in the market. As mentioned by Fetto (2020) “The "Fenty Effect" gained traction after Time magazine listed it as one of the 25 inventions of the year. Suddenly, establishment, sector, and mid-range beauty houses began broadening their shade selections to suit a broader spectrum of complexions”. Fetto (20200 also stated that “The new standard was 40 shades”. This is because when Fenty Beauty first made their debut in the market, they had launch 40 shades of foundation. It’s truly incredible how Fenty Beauty has managed to create a new standard in the makeup industry. It’s safe to say that Fenty Beauty doesn’t have to try to keep up with the new treand but instead Fenty Beauty is the trendsetter. Lastly, media literacy. As can be seen from their social media account, Fenty beauty only stick to content that is appropriate to their industry such as makeup and beauty content. Not only this helps their in improving their brand image but also this can help them stay out of drama that might jeopardize their brand image.As stated by Fetto (2020) “Gaining knowledge about the media landscape and what constitutes news is facilitated by media training. Knowing what constitutes a compelling story and how to get in touch with a journalist to secure coverage will be helpful. Additionally, you'll get the self-assurance you need to handle interviews and interact with the media”. Fenty Beauty has managed to overcome drama involving their brand by practicing this.As a result their brand stays afloat in the industry.
3.Challenges and Strategy Fenty Beauty isn’t the only brand that creates makeup, therefore the problem is competition. Fenty beauty has managed to eliminate these problems by creating a new makeup standard in the beauty industry. As mentioned by Breaking Barriers: Fenty Beauty’s Marketing Strategy Case Study | Brand Vision (n.d.) “Fenty Beauty established itself as an affordable high end makeup, offering high-quality products at a cost that was reasonable to a wide range of consumers. When utilising Fenty Beauty products, customers felt special and appreciated through this unique combination of luxury and inclusivity”. This is the advantage that Fenty Beauty has over other competitors. Next, media coverage. Fenty has overcome this problem by doing a free advertisement at the Superbowl. Not only this strategy was free marketing but it has managed spread brand awareness. As stated by Santoreneos and Santoreneos (2023b) “Not only that, but brand performance tool Launchmetrics reports that pop star and billionaire Rihanna generated US$88.3 million in media impact value in the 12 hours that followed her performance. That makes up 27% of all the coverage for the Super Bowl”. To further elaborate, Rihanna performance at the Superbowl was not paid.As mentioned by DeSantis (2023) “Rihanna's astounding Super Bowl halftime show was unpaid.”Fenty beauty has also created a few makeup products based on her performance at the Superbowl. Her performance at the Superbowl itself has enough her brand enough media coverage. Besides that, consumer expectation. Since Fenty beauty has set up a new standard in the beauty industry, the brand also needs to uphold the standard that they have set themselves. As mentioned by Colameo and Trakoshis (2023) “Every new product launch after that has embraced and celebrated unconventional inclusivity, creating an excitement that keeps Fenty at the top of its competition”. Cosmetic Executive Women (2019) also stated that “The brand
stands out from its rivals primarily due to its complete focus on skin tone. Few other beauty brands can match the shade variety of Fenty Beauty foundation shades, which is dedicated to providing foundation shades for every skin tone rather than just a close match”.The diversity and inclusivity of this brand has managed to meet her consumers expectation. Lastly, product demand issues. Fenty beauty is international brand that is available in almost every Sephora around the world. As mentioned by Fenty Beauty + Fenty Beauty (n.d.-a) “150+ countries are served by international shipping for FentyBeauty.com. Additionally, a few Sephora locations across the United States, Canada, Mexico, France, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, Singapore, and the Middle East (UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait) sell Fenty Beauty”. Although, her products are available in most country’s , the brand itself has a demand issues in store. Most of the time especially in Sephora Malaysia, most of the Fenty Beauty products are always out of stock. But Fenty beauty manages to overcome this problem by always making sure the products on their website is always available and in stock.
4.Role of public relations The strategic management and development of a brand's or organization's relationships with the media is known as media relations. It entails developing strong relationships, fostering trust, and conversing with reporters, journalists, and other media professionals in an effective manner. Firstly, media relation helps to create brand awareness. This is because journalist job tend to interview big brands for example rare beauty and Fenty beauty. All these interviews conduct by these journalists can massively impact a brand awareness and reputation. According to Digication ePortfolio : : Journalism and Credibility (Lebedawrd104) : : The Importance of Maintaining Credibility in Journalism (n.d.) “Individuals don't generally think twice about what they read or contend to be true. There would be situations where people read an article and discover that some of the information is incorrect, but they choose to believe it nonetheless because they did not thoroughly verify the information”. Next, maintaining credibility. The press is very much responsible for a celebrity or a known person reputation. Press, journalist, and reporters must be careful with what they post about an individual or anything in general. According to Media Harm (2020) “The media's power has the potential to be misused. Misinformation, incorrect assessments, and negative outcomes for people, communities, and nations are the results of abuse”. Media Harm (2020) also mentioned that “One set of guidelines focuses on preventing or reducing media harm, or the harm brought about by publication”. This means that the press or media can deeply influence an organization or an individual reputation. As stated by Media Literacy and Damage Control (2020) “The audience and media users' lack of media literacy is a major contributing factor to the devastation caused by fake news.”
Along with that, media relation is responsible for damage control. For instance, when something controversial happens it’s the media responsibility to publish a statement that can solve or minimize the issue. What is Public Relation Damage Control ? (2016) “One of a public relations department's responsibilities is damage control, which is reducing the harm that an event or sequence of events can do”. What is Public Relation Damage Control ? (2016) also stated that “The duties of the public relations officer involves controlling the information released about her employer, and presenting that information in the best possible light.” Lastly, learning how to use new media. The types of media can be categorized into two which are new media and old media. Old media are newspaper and radio. New media is social media. It’s important for those working in this field to start utilizing new media. Not only new media is more accessible nowadays but it also reaches toa bigger audience at the same time. As mentioned by Drew (2023) “News travels more quickly than ever before because of news apps, Twitter, etc”. PR professional must know how to utilze new media so that they can better communicate through wide ranges of media platform available. 5. Conclusion: Overall, transparent communication, accessibility, tactical communication, adaptability and media literacy all are vital role in media relations. All that is mentioned above can help build a relationship with the media that significantly help a brand reputation or an organisation reputation. Furthermore, strategic management, maintaining credibility, damage control and new media are all important role in public relations. As PR practitioners, its important to practice all these values mentioned in their work industry to better improve the industry as a whole.
Appendix:
References: Admin, & Admin. (2020, September 24). Top 4 benefits of Media relations. 3E Public Relations. https://www.3epr.com/top-4-benefits-of-media-relations/#:~:text=A%20str ong%20media%20relations%20campaign,coverage%20in%20trusted%20media%20o utlets. Breaking Barriers: Fenty Beauty’s Marketing Strategy Case Study | Brand Vision. (n.d.). https://www.brandvm.com/post/fenty-beautys-marketing#:~:text=Affordable% 20Luxury%20and%20Future%20Prospects&text=Fenty%20Beauty%20positioned%2 0itself%20as,when%20using%20Fenty%20Beauty%20products. Colameo, L., & Trakoshis, A. (2023, February 14). 13 Best Fenty Beauty Product of 2023 — Shop now. Allure. https://www.allure.com/gallery/best-fenty-beauty-products Cosmetic Executive Women. (2019, March 19). Why Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty Brand is Such a Big Deal - Cosmetic Executive Women. https://cew.org/beauty_news/why-rihannas-fenty-beauty-brand-is-such-a-bigdeal/#:~:text=One%20major%20differentiation%20from%20the,a%20few%20other% 20beauty%20brands. DeSantis, R. (2023, February 13). Rihanna Did Not Get Paid for Jaw-Dropping Super Bowl Halftime Show — Here's Why. Peoplemag. https://people.com/music/why-rihanna-and-other-super-bowl-halfti me-show-performers-dont-get-paid/#:~:text=Rihanna%20Did%20Not%20Get%20Pai d,Bowl%20Halftime%20Show%20%E2%80%94%20Here%27s%20Why&text=Rach el%20DeSantis%20is%20a%20staff%20writer%20on%20the%20music%20team%20 at%20PEOPLE. Digication ePortfolio :: Journalism and Credibility (LebedaWRD104) :: The importance of maintaining Credibility in Journalism.
(n.d.). https://depaul.digication.com/journalism_and_credibility_lebedawrd104/The_I mportance_of_Maintaining_Credibility_in_Journ#:~:text=People%20trust%20what% 20they%20read,go%20on%20believing%20such%20information. Drew, C. (2023, October 1). 21 Advantages & Disadvantages of New Media (College Essay Ideas). Helpful Professor. https://helpfulprofessor.com/new-media-advantages-and-disadvantages/ Fenty Beauty + Fenty Skin. (n.d.-a). FAQ | About | Fenty Beauty + Fenty Skin. https://fentybeauty.com/pages/help-faqs#:~:text=FentyBeauty.com%20ships%20 internationally%20to,Bahrain%2C%20Qatar%2C%20Kuwait). Fenty Beauty + Fenty Skin. (n.d.-b). Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation — #420. https://fentybeauty.com/products/pro-filtr-soft-matte-longwear-foundation-420? variant=35178864508973# Fetto, F. (2020, April 6). How Fenty Beauty Changed The State Of Play In The Beauty Industry. British Vogue. https://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/article/rihanna-fenty-beauty-diversity Fraser, K. (2023, February 13). WWD. WWD. https://wwd.com/pop-culture/celebrity-news/rihanna-fenty-beauty-supe r-bowl-halftime-show-makeup-1235521431/ Gupta, A. (2023, July 12). Communicate with Purpose: Building Stronger Connections through Effective Public Relations - Reputation Today. Reputation Today. https://reputationtoday.in/communicate-with-purpose-building-stronger-conne ctions-through-effective-public-relations/ Jain, T. (2023, October 13). Rihanna’s Unstoppable Impact- Why fenty beauty stands out? | ILLUMINATION. Medium. https://medium.com/illumination/rihannas-unstoppable-i mpact-how-fenty-beauty-crowned-2023-ecb536b1ec5b#:~:text=According%20to%20
Cosmetify%2C%20Fenty%20Beauty,on%20Cosmetify%27s%20top%2010%20ranki ng. Lang, C. (2017, November 16). Rihanna on Building a Beauty Empire: 'I’m Going To Push the Boundaries in This Industry’. Time. https://time.com/5026366/rihanna-fenty-beauty-best-inventions-2017 / Marketing In Asia. (2023, February 20). Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty sales increase after SuperBowl performance. Marketing in Asia. https://www.marketinginasia.com/rihannas-fenty-beauty-sales-increase-after-sup erbowl-performance/ Media harm. (2020). In Cambridge University Press eBooks (pp. 127–156). https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108779340.006 Media literacy and damage control. (2020, December 12). Times of India Blog. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/priyankarajkhowa/media-literac y-and-damage-control-28355/ Muliadi, B. (2020, July 7). What The Rise Of TikTok Says About Generation Z. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/07/07/what-the-riseof-tiktok-says-about-generation-z/?sh=36d25b526549 Santoreneos, A., & Santoreneos, A. (2023a, February 15). Rihanna’s US$6 million payday from 3 second act. Forbes Australia. https://www.forbes.com.au/news/billionaires/super-bowl-halftime-show-rih anna-earns-5-6-million-from-makeup-touchup/ Santoreneos, A., & Santoreneos, A. (2023b, February 15). Rihanna’s US$6 million payday from 3 second act. Forbes
Australia. https://www.forbes.com.au/news/billionaires/super-bowl-halftime-show-rih anna-earns-5-6-million-from-makeup-touchup/ Vasconcellos, A. (2023, March 27). Why Strategic Communications Must Have A Seat At The Executive Table. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2023/03/27/why-str ategic-communications-must-have-a-seat-at-the-executive-table/?sh=3a7ee8f293a4 What is public relations damage control? (2016, October 26). Small Business - Chron.com. https://smallbusiness.chron.com/public-relations-damage-control-18306.h tml