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"The Brand That Didn't Try (But Really Did)" A Case Study of The Ordinary's Marketing Communication; a skincare brand

Leander, Lydia LU and Pamliden, Felicia (2025) SKOK11 20251
Department of Strategic Communication
Abstract
This thesis explores how skincare brands can effectively use marketing strategies to differentiate and build trust, with a particular focus on The Ordinary, a brand known for its minimalist and transparent marketing approach. Through a qualitative, multimodal content analysis and by incorporating the marketing mix framework (4Ps), the study investigates how the brand’s visual, textual, and audio communication reflects broader marketing trends such as transparency, anti-consumption, and unconventional branding. By applying semiotic and multimodal analytical frameworks, the research reveals that The Ordinary strategically positions itself in opposition to traditional beauty marketing norms, emphasizing honesty, scientific credibility, and... (More)
This thesis explores how skincare brands can effectively use marketing strategies to differentiate and build trust, with a particular focus on The Ordinary, a brand known for its minimalist and transparent marketing approach. Through a qualitative, multimodal content analysis and by incorporating the marketing mix framework (4Ps), the study investigates how the brand’s visual, textual, and audio communication reflects broader marketing trends such as transparency, anti-consumption, and unconventional branding. By applying semiotic and multimodal analytical frameworks, the research reveals that The Ordinary strategically positions itself in opposition to traditional beauty marketing norms, emphasizing honesty, scientific credibility, and minimalism. The findings contribute to existing literature on marketing by highlighting the impact of authenticity and unconventional messaging in fostering trust. The study concludes that The Ordinary’s success lies in its ability to merge transparency with irony and simplicity, offering valuable insights for brands seeking to connect with critical and marketing-aware audiences in the digital age. In conclusion, the question of whether the brand’s unconventional strategies risk losing their impact over time is addressed, as what is novel today may become expected or less compelling in the future. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Denna uppsats undersöker hur hudvårdsmärken effektivt kan använda marknadsföringsstrategier för att differentiera sig och bygga förtroende, med särskilt fokus på The Ordinary, ett varumärke känt för sin minimalistiska och transparenta marknadsföring. Genom en kvalitativ, multimodal innehållsanalys och med hjälp av marknadsföringsmixens ramverk (4P) undersöker studien hur varumärkets visuella, textuella och audiella kommunikation speglar bredare marknadsföringstrender såsom transparens, antikonsumtion och icke-konventionell varumärkespositionering. Genom att tillämpa semiotiska och multimodala analysramverk visar analysen att The Ordinary strategiskt positionerar sig i motsats till normen inom traditionell skönhetsmarknadsföring, med... (More)
Denna uppsats undersöker hur hudvårdsmärken effektivt kan använda marknadsföringsstrategier för att differentiera sig och bygga förtroende, med särskilt fokus på The Ordinary, ett varumärke känt för sin minimalistiska och transparenta marknadsföring. Genom en kvalitativ, multimodal innehållsanalys och med hjälp av marknadsföringsmixens ramverk (4P) undersöker studien hur varumärkets visuella, textuella och audiella kommunikation speglar bredare marknadsföringstrender såsom transparens, antikonsumtion och icke-konventionell varumärkespositionering. Genom att tillämpa semiotiska och multimodala analysramverk visar analysen att The Ordinary strategiskt positionerar sig i motsats till normen inom traditionell skönhetsmarknadsföring, med betoning på ärlighet, vetenskaplig trovärdighet och minimalism. Resultaten bidrar till befintlig forskning inom marknadsföring genom att lyfta fram autenticitetens och det icke-konventionella budskapets betydelse för att skapa förtroende. Studien drar slutsatsen att The Ordinarys framgång ligger i varumärkets förmåga att förena transparens med ironi och enkelhet, vilket ger värdefulla insikter för aktörer som vill nå en kritisk och marknadsföringsmedveten målgrupp i den digitala tidsåldern. Slutligen väcks även frågan om varumärkets strategier riskerar att tappa sin effekt över tid, eftersom det som är nyskapande idag kan bli förväntat eller mindre tilltalande i framtiden. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Leander, Lydia LU and Pamliden, Felicia
supervisor
organization
course
SKOK11 20251
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Skincare, transparency, unconventional marketing, minimalism, marketing, marketing mix, multimodality, The Ordinary
language
English
id
9192912
date added to LUP
2025-06-17 09:45:25
date last changed
2025-06-17 09:45:25
@misc{9192912,
  abstract     = {{This thesis explores how skincare brands can effectively use marketing strategies to differentiate and build trust, with a particular focus on The Ordinary, a brand known for its minimalist and transparent marketing approach. Through a qualitative, multimodal content analysis and by incorporating the marketing mix framework (4Ps), the study investigates how the brand’s visual, textual, and audio communication reflects broader marketing trends such as transparency, anti-consumption, and unconventional branding. By applying semiotic and multimodal analytical frameworks, the research reveals that The Ordinary strategically positions itself in opposition to traditional beauty marketing norms, emphasizing honesty, scientific credibility, and minimalism. The findings contribute to existing literature on marketing by highlighting the impact of authenticity and unconventional messaging in fostering trust. The study concludes that The Ordinary’s success lies in its ability to merge transparency with irony and simplicity, offering valuable insights for brands seeking to connect with critical and marketing-aware audiences in the digital age. In conclusion, the question of whether the brand’s unconventional strategies risk losing their impact over time is addressed, as what is novel today may become expected or less compelling in the future.}},
  author       = {{Leander, Lydia and Pamliden, Felicia}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{"The Brand That Didn't Try (But Really Did)" A Case Study of The Ordinary's Marketing Communication; a skincare brand}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}