
Martina and Youtuber Sami Slimani
“Samiiii, can I take a selfie with you?” cried a thousand teenage voices. Social media stars like Sami Slimani, Steffi Giesinger, Ischtar Isik, Shanti Tan, Boris Entrup, Sarah Nowak – they were all attending “Glow – The Beauty Convention” in Stuttgart. This Saturday, August 27th, the same will happen again when the show comes to Hanover. Martina, one of our influencer marketing specialists, was there to see what the teenage craze is all about.
Sami who? Never heard of him? For most people over 20, the name Sami Slimani is not familiar. Marketing and PR professionals should know him however, because this Youtuber and Instagrammer is very popular with teens. Just as we idolised Madonna, the Backstreet Boys or Take That, young people today swoon over Youtubers and Instagram-beauties. It is no wonder, since the stars give these young people a look into their exciting lives and still appear to be a friend. Photos on Instagram, make-up tips or work-out instructions on Youtube, live-Videos on Snapchat from a cool event – these stars are accessible, and that is appealing for this target group.
5.000 young beauty enthusiasts, mostly girls, flocked together with their best friend or their mum to the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle in Stuttgart and let famous cosmetic brands do their make up in the queue. You have to bring a lot of patience because the queues are very long. The things you do for the famous “nude-look” or hair in “Hollywood-waves”! Perfectly styled, the girls posed happily in front of the photo wall or the Brandenburger gate built from eye-shadow and mascara. They proudly shared their snapshots with friends on Instagram, etc.
On the stage there were beauty talks with vloggers. The kids were also excited about live tutorials with make-up artist Boris Entrup, famous from “Germany’s Next Topmodel”. He demonstrated the latest make-up trends, showed products and patiently answered questions.
There were also dance tutorials and music in the programme: Lamiya Slimani, the famous sister from vlogger und presenter Sami Slimani, performed her second single “Echoes” at the convention. Perfect for marketing: The fans could buy the single online directly and download it to their phone. A dead battery is no excuse at Glow: There were phone stations for all types of batteries, which were already getting tired from all the selfies.
Alongside current beauty trends, the fitness and sports tips from Detlef D. Soost or Sophia Thiel were also popular with the teens. A new drink was also presented, with Hyaluronic acid, biotin and collagen. Beauty from the inside – cheers! The event was very similar to Video Days, Europe’s biggest Youtuber convention, except in pink and with glitter. The teens loved it and are already excited for the next Glow in Hanover that advertises with the slogan “Who says you can’t buy happiness?”.
By Martina Ganzbuhl and Ulrica Griffiths