Avon swaps its iconic catalog for drag queens and YouTube tutorials
America's original makeup catalog isn't just for moms anymore.
Avon's falling revenue has forced it to shift from its iconic door-to-door sales to a brand based on e-commerce, Bloomberg reports. And it's pushing outside the U.S. to get there.
Suffering from sales losses to Amazon and Walmart, the 132-year-old makeup brand sold its U.S. operations two years ago and moved its headquarters to London, Bloomberg says. Avon's marketing focus followed, and the company has since expanded into Brazil, Mexico, and other countries where door-to-door selling still reigns.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But in the U.K., social media dominates. Avon still relies on independent representatives, but how they sell their products has changed. Many create YouTube channels and Instagram accounts full of beauty tips, pushing customers to order online instead of through a catalog, Bloomberg notes. Brazil's marketing features drag queens and transgender models done up in Avon products, and a Korean beauty line is in the works.
Avon's new CEO and new approach haven't turned around sales quite yet, with the company reporting revenue growth but net losses. But Avon is training representatives to be more social-media savvy, hoping a makeover will make customers answer the door once again.
Read more about Avon's new look at Bloomberg.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocks
Speed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor deal
Speed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US Steel
Speed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons merger
Speed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Rupert Murdoch loses 'Succession' court battle
Speed Read Murdoch wanted to give full control of his empire to son Lachlan, ensuring Fox News' right-wing editorial slant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bitcoin surges above $100k in post-election rally
Speed Read Investors are betting that the incoming Trump administration will embrace crypto
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Enron mystery: 'sick joke' or serious revival?
Speed Read 23 years after its bankruptcy filing, the Texas energy firm has announced its resurrection
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US charges Indian tycoon with bribery, fraud
Speed Read Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has been indicted by US prosecutors for his role in a $265 million scheme to secure solar energy deals
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published