Photo via Fast Company
Rhode's meteoric rise—from direct-to-consumer launch in 2022 to acquisition by E.l.f. Cosmetics in 2025—demonstrates a branding strategy that transcends traditional beauty marketing. Rather than chasing trending sounds or viral moments, founder Hailey Bieber and her team positioned the skincare brand as a lifestyle universe with carefully curated visual storytelling. This approach acquired 60,000 new customers in a single week during the Rhode World activation at Coachella, generating $32 million in earned media value and 290 million content views.
The brand's success hinges on editorial-first thinking borrowed from fashion and magazine culture. Every product launch—from pocket blushes to pimple patches—connects to a cohesive visual identity while allowing creative flexibility in execution. Bieber describes her process as starting with the product's feeling, then mining inspiration from photography, historical campaigns, and personal experience to craft authentic storytelling. This balance between consistency and novelty creates what the brand calls a 'through line' rather than repetition, keeping the aesthetic fresh without losing brand recognition.
For Nashville entrepreneurs and retailers, Rhode's model offers practical takeaways: invest in product quality first, then wrap it in aspirational visual branding; leverage cultural references and nostalgia thoughtfully; build community through exclusive experiences that still generate accessible content; and prioritize feeling and emotion over trend-chasing. The brand's 4.6 million Instagram followers and 2 million TikTok followers engage primarily with lifestyle imagery, user-generated content, and detailed product education—suggesting consumers crave substance alongside style.
As retail evolves, the Rhode playbook signals that local brands can compete at scale by developing distinctive aesthetic languages and treating marketing as editorial storytelling rather than promotional noise. The brand's refusal to participate in social media trends while maintaining massive engagement suggests that discerning audiences reward authenticity, consistency, and clear creative vision—principles applicable whether you're launching skincare in Los Angeles or opening a concept store in Nashville's retail corridors.
