Socialfolk
Rhode vs Rare Beauty: The Marketing Strategy Behind their ‘exact same’ creator Brand Trips
Two rival brands. Same theme. One weekend... (Rocky theme song playing)
So why did Rhode and Rare Beauty launch near-identical "Snow Club" influencer brand trips on the same weekend?
The critics are calling it a lack of originality, but I think something much smarter is happening here 🧠
They aren’t ignoring the rivalry. They’re leaning into it.
You’d be hard-pressed to have missed the internet’s decade long obsession with Selena, Hailey, and Justin Bieber love triangle.
These brands aren't just selling blush, they are leaning into a para-social narrative that fans are already deeply invested in.
By mirroring each other’s aesthetics and timing, they’ve turned their new product launches into a total market monopoly.
What I think the strategy was:
💄 Every "Team Rhode vs. Team Rare" TikTok comparing the lodges or the gift bags is free reach. They aren’t fighting for attention; they’re forcing the audience to choose a side.
💄 By flooding the feed with identical luxury-lodge content, they didn't just block out competitors, they turned the internet into a global product showcase. This forced both product & brand awareness through constant comparison, creating a feedback loop.
💄 Fans rushed to watch multiple creators' vlogs just to compare the rooms, the goody bags, and which creators went. It turned into a content scavenger hunt, with audiences playing detective, piecing together every post and keeping eyes on both brands.
They don’t need to mention the history. The identical timing reignites the rivalry. It validates the fan obsession, ensuring engagement rates hit the roof.
By the time the new products officially drop, they already feel familiar to audiences. Desired. Anticipated.
While some argue that we should stop the comparison, I think these brands are actually COUNTING on it!
You don’t always have to invent something completely new to win attention in a smart way. The real play isn’t just the trip, the aesthetic, or the creators.
It’s about creating moments and events that spark conversation around your brand.
About Social folk
Social Folk is a global award-winning influencer and gifting agency, recognised as one of the UK’s leading creator marketing agencies.
They empower brands to connect at scale through authentic, creator-led storytelling, specialising in global influencer campaigns, data-backed seeding and gifting, and high-impact brand activation events.
Winners of the European Agency Awards 2025 and multiple influencer marketing accolades, Social Folk leverages cutting-edge technology, human psychology, and data-driven insights to help brands drive engagement, loyalty, and ROI in the ever evolving creator economy landscape.
