Marketing Case Study: Rhode Coming to Australia

We like to keep an eye on businesses making a splash with their marketing strategy. When it comes to celebrity beauty brands, many are basic, boring cash-grabs, but there are a few that are serious contenders in the beauty industry. Hailey Bieber’s Rhode lands squarely in the latter category, among the likes of Fenty Beauty by Rihanna, Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez, and Victoria Beckham Beauty. What makes them stand out in the sea of skincare and makeup brands? Good product, mostly, but also great marketing and strong personal branding. These are not white label brands where a celebrity meets a team of developers and agrees to slap their name and face on the packaging for a fee; the difference is that Hailey Bieber and her peers are hands-on in their companies, working in creative director roles or owning controlling interests. So how did Rhode become the phenomenon it has, and how has its entry into Australia been a part of that?

Rhode launched in 2022 with a core line of just 10 products, a modest offering in the oversaturated beauty industry. According to Forbes, this smaller line allowed the fledgling brand to “continuously refine and innovate the products based on real-time consumer feedback.” With marketing that highlighted hero products, Rhode quickly whipped the internet into a frenzy.

Food-Related Beauty and Sensory Marketing

At the height of food-related beauty obsession and a trend towards natural makeup and dewy skin, Rhode brought out the Peptide Glazing Fluid and then the lighter Glazing Milk. Marketing for these products included likening the effect to “glazed doughnut skin” as well as pairing Peptide Lip Tints with various sweet treats to heighten the experience and intrinsically link the products to a craving. As per Medium, a sensory, flavour-laden approach to marketing these products was key to triggering a sense of indulgence and reward, making consumers “crave” the products the same way they might crave a Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut or a cinnamon roll.

Scarcity Marketing and the Cool Girls

Scarcity marketing is a great way to create demand, by making customers anxious to get their hands on your product before it sells out, such as with limited drops and limited-edition products. Hailey Bieber was also seen wearing and carrying her products, as were her A-list friends, with the minimalistic packaging adding to the ubiquitous cool-girl aesthetic that continues to have TikTok and Instagram in a chokehold. Call it influencer marketing if you will, but this strategy long predates the rise of the influencer. In 2010, Kate Middleton’s deep blue Issa dress, worn to announce her engagement to Prince William, sold out overnight.

In a more deliberate marketing move, consider how each year the Australian Open athletes are decked out in their sponsor brands and how those same brands and outfits are available to purchase in the AO precinct: apart from a desire to dress the same as your favourite athlete, royal, or A-lister, celebrity endorsement also engenders trust in a brand. Every industry has its cool girl, so to speak.

International Expansion and the Australian Consumer

Part of the scarcity of Rhode was its exclusivity to select countries, meaning Australians couldn’t buy the products on our shores or even online. Desperate consumers were asking friends and family on international trips to bring back some Rhode, which then created its own inner circle of those with friends in high places.

Then, at last, in late 2025 rumours began swirling that Rhode might be coming to Australia’s very own Mecca. Founded in Melbourne in 1997 by Jo Horgan, Mecca is known for securing exclusivity deals with both local and international brands, an objectively genius move designed to ensure customers remain loyal. And the rumours turned out to be true: Rhode was coming to Australia, available via the Mecca website, stores, and Rhode’s own website, now shipping down under for the first time.

A Cultural Moment True to Rhode’s Brand

Rhode’s expansion into Australia wasn’t just a product drop; Mecca’s flagship stores in Sydney and Melbourne were home to activations featuring Rhode-branded pop-up bakeries serving signature Aussie pastries, logo-stamped waffles and butter, and bakery box-style oversized PR gift bags. Rhode stayed true to form by creating an entire sensory experience linked to a new product available only at Mecca: the Peptide Lip Treatment in Sugarberry, a blueberry buttermilk waffle scent. Once more, Rhode created buzz using exclusivity and scarcity with a limited-edition, Australia-only product that sold out within days as consumers rushed to get a piece of branding history.

Because it is history: the history of the brand, the products, the experience of the activations, and the launch into Australia. As Jessica Robinson from SmartCompany said, entering a new market is not just about strategy but about understanding the emotional link to brand embedding. Strategic sensory marketing (food association) and interactive activations, such as a bakery and café, serve to keep customers around, engaging with product, with each other, and with social media as the gift bags inevitably made it to Instagram carousels – a very easy channel to user-generated content. What was also clever about this approach was that it tied well into Australia’s bakery and café culture, turning a morning launch into a brunch outing.

How Does Rhode’s Marketing Strategy Translate?

So, how does this apply to your brand? You may not be creating lip products or crafting worldwide expansion strategies using baked goods, but you can apply the same basic principles to your own marketing approach. Savvy business owners know the value of an event with exclusive deals, refreshments, and product samples. The food and drink keep your customers lingering, and samples or freebies create conversion. An exclusive discount or other deal for customers who attend that specific event not only gets people in the door, but also creates goodwill – your customers will associate your brand with good memories, increasing loyalty and engagement.

If you are launching a new product, aiming to build your customer database, or celebrating a business milestone, it might be worth taking a leaf out of Rhode’s marketing book and creating not just a sale event, but an entire experience designed to make your customers feel like part of the family.

That’s where we come in. Chat to our team to revamp your marketing strategy today.