Is The Netflix Documentary Free PR For Marlena Stell & Makeup Geek?

First, I think Marlena Stell is part of the definition of lady boss. I would say that in the grand scheme of things, she’s been really successful. However, it’s no secret that her brand, Makeup Geek, has flown under the radar for quite some time. When the beauty community on YouTube experienced ripple effects a month ago, some thought that Marlena’s video was a PR stunt to get people talking about her brand. However, I don’t really believe that.

I’m not going to lie, Marlena’s brand really needs a PR strategy. Public relations entails raising public awareness and many new consumers of makeup who watch young influencers like Thomas Halbert, may not know about her or Makeup Geek. So, I do think this Netflix documentary could be free PR for Marlena. After all, it will target not only young and older consumers, but ones who do not know any YouTube influencers at all.

That being said, I think Marlena still needs a cohesive public relations strategy, which can elevate her brand consistently. It’s never good to be a trend for the consumer and I think public awareness for Makeup Geek was a one point a trend. I don’t even heavily watch beauty videos, but I remember hearing about Makeup Geek a lot. What Marlena needs to do is to get a good publicist and come up with some innovative ideas that will address longevity awareness.

Although this is not an official PR Strategy Brief post, my general recommendations would be for Makeup Geek would be more compelling online content, highlighting good customer service, and interacting with appropriate audiences. These are often fundamentals that I include in my strategic communication plans. However, the key is to tailor every recommendation to the brand. Crisis communications is even more about tailoring public relations fundamentals, which you can see in my Starbucks post.

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Photo by Raphael Lovaski on Unsplash