SEEN Group

We are excited to share Sheilla Mamona's article on DAZED Magazine 'The Black creatives to follow for alt-girl beauty inspiration' that our Senior Strategist, Chelsea Mtada, contributed her thoughts to last week. “Black women have always been on the edge of alt-beauty because rejecting Eurocentric beauty standards has often left us ‘othered.’ But that’s also what’s given us the freedom to carve out our own version of what alternative beauty looks like” Read Sheilla Mamona's full article via the link here.

Today, our PR & Communications team in the US, Beauty SEEN, launched two L'Oréal Dermatological Beauty brands to market, Cerave hair and Vichy Laboratoires Dercos.   The partnership with the two new brands expands SEEN’s ongoing collaboration with L’Oréal, including Vichy Laboratoires, Aesop and L'Oréal Professionnel Paris.    With a robust press explosion to unveil the dual launches, Beauty SEEN secured impactful media exclusives across WWD, Byrdie and Cosmopolitan to drive hype and showcase both brand’s expansion in the hair category. Additional services include dermatologist and talent contracting, key stakeholder management, mailer design and copywriting.   Watch this space for an upcoming US launch event, concepted and executed by our Brand Experience team, SEEN BX.  

For this year's UK Black History Month theme, Reclaiming Narratives, we partnered with The Casbah to host SYNC UP, a media mixer that brought together tastemakers across industries—artists, athletes, influencers, and beauty founders—to celebrate Black-owned and Black-led media, communities, and platforms.   At SEEN Group, creative storytelling is at the heart of what we do. We’re dedicated to bringing brands’ visions to life, and we feel privileged to provide a platform for others to share their stories, especially those perspectives that have often been overlooked or rewritten.   The evening opened with REBIRTH, an award-winning short film exploring resilience and growth in the Black-British community against a striking urban backdrop. The filmmakers, US MAN DERE, joined us to discuss the passion behind the project, sharing insights on how our media consumption shapes how we view the world and provides a backdrop to our own stories.   One powerful takeaway from the discussion was the importance of community building as a foundation for supporting individual voices.   Following the film, we moved to The Casbah bar for the SYNC UP, where attendees connected over cocktails and conversations, celebrating the diverse community of voices, hands, and brands that make it vibrant.   Among our incredible guests were creatives, CEOs, our Sip N Shop vendors, and young representatives from The Taylor Bennett Foundation. It was inspiring to see emerging professionals engage with industry leaders, underlining the significance of authentically sharing stories and leveraging networks.   #BlackHistoryMonth #ReclaimingNarratives #SYNCUP #SEENGroup #TheCasbah #CreativeCommunity #Networking

This month, our PR & Communications team, Beauty SEEN, concepted and executed the Glow Studio to mark Milk Makeup's new autumn launches at SpaceNK Apothecary's Hans Crescent space with the brand's UK influencer community. Featuring product immersion, MUA station and even a matcha bar from How Matcha! with bespoke blends inspired by the new products, guests were immersed in Milk Makeup's creative influences and educated on the new product formulas to share messaging on social platforms with their respective audiences. Following touch ups with Milk Makeup's collection to complete a signature look, photographer Michaela Tornaritis captured the essence of the day with headshots for each guest, reminiscent of a brand campaign. Hosted on product launch day, the attendees created live content that drove buzz, excitement and awareness of the brand's new Grip + Glow Primer and new shades of the iconic Cooling Water Jelly Tints and Odyssey Lip Oil Glosses, all available at SpaceNK.

At SEEN Group and The Casbah, we partner with incredible brands everyday, learning their unique identities, visions, and goals, no matter the size. By understanding their tone of voice, we aim to tell their stories authentically. Hosting our recent Sip ‘n Shop event with The Casbah for Black History Month was a beautiful reminder that sometimes the best platform is simply opening a space for Founders and Artists to speak for themselves. We brought seven Black-owned businesses and their unique stories into the physical spotlight, offering them a stage to share their work with the community.   This year's Black History Month theme of "Reclaiming Narratives" came to life in a tangible, physical space. For some of the participating brands, typically operating online, the opportunity to connect in person with their audience brought a fresh sense of energy and gratitude, reaffirming the hard work behind each product sold.   Louie Akinwale, founder of Lubylu drew in curious passersby with his charismatic energy, while Roshanne from The Glowcery shared her inspiring journey from human rights law to beauty entrepreneurship. Serean, the artist behind Kiln Jewels, who’s more familiar with weekend markets, reflected, “Sometimes it pays to say yes to something different”, adding how much it meant to be surrounded by "people who get it".   Black Oud captivated with its stunning setup and mesmerizing scents, drawing guests in between moments spent watching the artist, Obad of Sharbrains Art, create live in the space. Yemzi's vibrant swim and activewear collection sparked conversations about future goals, while House of Pollen's stunning floral giveaways felt like the perfect closing touch, a symbol of the passion that permeated the day.   It was an evening of connection, creativity, and community, and we were proud to host and support these talented founders in their journeys.   #BlackHistoryMonth #ReclaimingNarratives #SupportBlackBusinesses #SEENGroup #TheCasbah #Entrepreneurship #SmallBusiness

To celebrate Black History Month this October, in collaboration with The Casbah, join us at SEEN Group’s London office on Tuesday 22nd October for ‘Sip n’ Shop’: a pop-up marketplace showcasing crafts from several black-owned businesses. Shop art, fashion, fragrance, skincare and jewellery whilst enjoying drinks from our custom self-serve bar. Check out incredible products from the following brands:   @theglowceryshop @blackoudlondon @lubylu.ng @yemzi @sharbrainsart
 @kilnjewels

Last week, I attended CreatorIQ Connect 2024, held on October 10th at the Ebell Theater in Los Angeles. This landmark event brought together over 1,000 attendees to discuss the future of creator marketing, highlighting the significant growth of the creator economy and its increasing significance in the marketing industry. As always, it was inspiring to see how the latest insights align with our mission at Community X SEEN (CXS) to drive an inclusive social beauty world. Here are some key takeaways that resonate strongly with our CXS vision: Content Creation at Scale: A recurring theme was brands' need for large volumes of quality content, produced efficiently. At CXS, our hyper-categorised creator community ensures we handpick creators perfectly aligned with brand values, producing culturally relevant content at scale. Authentic Brand-Consumer Connections and Community Building: The importance of long-term, genuine partnerships with creators was emphasised throughout the event, empowering creators whilst giving them creative freedom to tell stories which resonate with their individual audiences. Tim Coolican, CEO of Milk Makeup, captured this perfectly: "What resonates is when the creator gives the unique perspective that's personal, that's genuine, about why this product is worth knowing about and trying. So the brief is inspire, don't prescribe.” Our CXS team of social experts support and educate our community in their creator journeys, to inspire authentic content creation and conversation.   Balancing Brand and Performance Metrics: Measurement and showcasing the ROI of creator marketing was emphasised throughout the day, providing valuable insights into the importance of integrating both brand building and performance metrics in successful strategies. At CXS, we’re driven by data to prove clear ROI, enabling our brand partners to justify investments and build lasting brand value. E-Comm to S-Comm: The rapidly-growing opportunities for social commerce were acknowledged, and platforms like TikTok Shop are transforming the digital world, making it possible for the entire selling process–from awareness to conversion–to occur on a single channel. I'm excited to announce a powerful product roadmap for Q4 and beyond, with major social commerce launches coming soon. Stay tuned! Megan Luck, Product Lead, Community X SEEN

SEEN Group hosted Rihanna and VIP guests at Selfridges London, to celebrate the launch of Rihanna's debut haircare line, Fenty Hair, into its first ever UK retailer. The exclusive event showcased Fenty Hair’s reparative line, featuring nine haircare and styling products designed for all hair types, textures, and needs.   Bringing together SEEN Group’s experts across PR & Communications (Beauty SEEN), Influencer Marketing (Community X SEEN) and Brand Experience (SEEN BX), SEEN worked cross-divisionally to ensure a seamless and very successful launch event that well and truly took over the internet.   Carefully crafted by the Beauty SEEN team, Rihanna began her Fenty Hair journey at The Corner Shop, where she was interviewed by British Vogue, Indiyah Pollack, and Uche Natori, before creating social content with the UK’s biggest beauty influencer, Danielle Marcan. Following this, she met with a selection of influencer models casted by the Community X SEEN team who were positioned in the Corner Shop’s Fenty Hair Heaven Salon having their hair styled using Fenty Hair products.   Upstairs, the celebration continued as SEEN BX transformed the Selfridges VIP lounge into a London-inspired Fenty Hair party. The destination, Mane Street Station! SEEN BX concepted, designed and produced bespoke content sets including a tube carriage, iconic telephone box, edge styling hair salon and a complete Fenty Hair bar take over. 

We're thrilled to announce that SEEN Group has been named one of PR Net's Top 100 agencies for 2024.    This prestigious award, now in its fourth year, spotlights outstanding talent, innovation, and influence within the PR agency industry. We're honored to be included among such an impressive group of communications and marketing firms from across the globe. This award affirms our commitment to excellence in the beauty and personal care sector.   The PR Net 100 list was curated by an esteemed panel of industry leaders, including executives from Sotheby's, MOCA Los Angeles, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Hermes, Bloomberg Media, Goop, Bulgari North America, and Sephora.    This recognition validates our unique approach to beauty business transformation and acceleration across our four specialist divisions, supporting brands with everything from communications and strategy to influencer marketing and brand experience.    Thank you again to The PR Net - we look forward to celebrating with our fellow honorees at The Ned this September.

Last week, to kick off NYFW, SEEN Group US hosted an exclusive dinner party at Carbone in NYC with (MALIN+GOETZ) to celebrate the launch of the brand’s highly anticipated tomato home spray, which marks the expansion of the best-selling tomato franchise, and the return of the the twice-sold-out Tomato Candle.   This new launch pays a special tribute to the Founders Matthew Malin + Andrew Goetz’s passion for gardening and cooking at their Hudson Valley home and is inspired by a flourishing garden in late summer, complete with the fresh, verdant, and earthy scent of tomato. SEEN Group invited guests to take a seat at the tomato table and toast to tomato, with an event that was made possible by all divisions including SEEN Works, SEEN BX, Community X SEEN and Beauty SEEN.   SEEN Works created custom design and gifting elements, including co-branded, limited-edition MALIN+GOETZ x Carbone sauce jars for all guests, branded farmer’s market tote bags, bespoke recipe books with a custom recipe card and more. Our Brand Experience team, SEEN BX, led on event production, with curated creative elements throughout the space, including a tomato inspired tablescape, an involved tomato tower, tomato place cards, tomato ‘tini’s and more, for the ultimate tomato takeover of Carbone. Lastly, SEEN’s Communications team, Beauty SEEN, supported with a robust press office strategy highlighting both launch and event, securing top-tier features in key titles including Esquire, Food & Wine, Surface Magazine and more; with party coverage in NYMag.com/TheCut among other titles.   Running alongside this activity were strategic partnerships with lifestyle, home and culinary-focused creators to support the launch with beautifully curated content. The Community X SEEN team hand-selected five creators, who each highlighted the product’s efficacy by crafting engaging TikToks, Instagram Reels and Stories that captured the fresh, vibrant essence of the spray. From spritzing kitchens post-meal clean-up, to enhancing serene living spaces, their storytelling demonstrated how the tomato home spray transforms any home with its refreshing, clean fragrance. Each piece of content seamlessly integrated the spray into daily routines, offering an authentic and relatable glimpse into its benefits. The campaign garnered an impressive 3.05M+ impressions and reached 1.51M+ viewers, showcasing the powerful resonance of the launch across social media.