Social Listening: rom&nd

 


 I selected the cosmetics brand rom&nd (romand) for this assignment because it is personally my favorite lip brand, which I have been using for several years. As a famous brand in the modern K-beauty industry, rom&nd has successfully captured international market attention not through traditional high-budget advertising, but through community-driven marketing, and interactive digital content. It caught my attention in how a relatively young South Korean brand managed to build such a dedicated global fan base through digital storytelling, interactive content, and accessible pricing.  

 Founded in South Korea in collaboration with the famous beauty influencer and makeup artist Saerom Min (Gaeco) in 2016, rom&nd is operated under iFamily SC. The brand's core value proposition is providing high-quality, trendy, and affordable color cosmetics designed specifically to suit personal color theory (warm and cool skin undertones). They focus on helping customers achieve an effortless, radiant "glass skin" and "dewy lip" look at an accessible price point.

Brand Philosophy

Built by Fans, for Fans – Our passion drives a fandom-powered beauty culture, creating authentic and exciting launches.

Consumer-Led Innovation – Every product is shaped by real feedback, viral trends, and co-creation with our community.

Beauty for All – We embrace all shades and styles, crafting cosmetics that celebrate individuality and self-expression.

Content + Product = Contenduct – We merge content and cosmetics, turning beauty into an interactive, trend-driven experience. (source)

What People are Saying on Social Media

To understand where the brand stands now I looked on social media to see what people are saying about rom&nd on social media. I noticed three recurring themes that stood out to me.

 The first point I noticed was customers expressing their satisfaction with formula's durability and high performance. Instagram user @saima647 commented: "I tried their lip gloss and its the best thing out there because it just stays on and doesn't wear off like other lip gloss...I had the lip gloss on even after I ate lunch." This is a clear reference to the fact that rom&nd succeeds in delivering a high-performing formula that directly fulfills consumer expectations for a durable gloss.
Another key theme I identified was how well the brand aligns with personal color theory trends. Instagram user @hannahandski noted: "cream haze and cream mud are genuinely the best nude glosses I've ever bought as a soft summer! Please never get rid of them I'm repurchasing them for the rest of my life." Here "soft summer" refers to a color analysis concept where people choose cosmetic shades that match their natural skin and hair tone. Instead of selling generic colors, rom&nd designs shades for very specific skin undertones. This smart personalization strategy turns ordinary buyers into loyal, lifelong fans.  

 The final point I found centered around shade selection and everyday usability. Instagram user @boredbusinessb shared: "I have 4! They are super moisturizing too, I love them. Sorbet balm is a little too bright pink on my but I keep it in my desk for video calls to brighten my face. Nougat sand is great for any situation..." This highlights that even if a color looks slightly different than expected, customers still find practical way to use it. This demonstrates that rom&nd's products offer high versatility, creating strong product satisfaction even when specific shade isn't a perfect match.

rom&nd currently has 845k followers on Instagram (romandyou). Their posts are vibrant mix of user-generated content, high-quality reels showing close-up swatches, and aesthetic product photography. The tone feels fresh, youthful, and highly interactive, matching the brand's identity of "Built by Fans, for Fans" and its focus on trend-driven content.

rom&nd heavily promotes its signature lip collections (Juicy Lasting Tint, Glasting Water Tint, Glasting Melting Balm) alongside face products like the Nu Zero Cushion and Better Than Palette eyeshadow. Their marketing messaging centers on inclusivity within color theory, self-expression, and easy daily beauty routines.

Social Media Strategy

  rom&nd currently has 845k followers on its main Instagram account (romandyou) and over 350k followers (romand)on TikTok. A key part of their digital strategy is localization: alongside their main South Korean headquarters profile, they operate targeted regional accounts across major markets, including Japan 354k followers (romand_jp), the US 146k followers (romand_us), Vietnam 134k followers (romand_vn), Thailand 45.5k followers (romand.th), the Philippines 45.4k followers (romand.ph), and  Indonesia 8.4k followers (romand_id).

  • Content Strategy: They post multiple times daily, focusing on short-form video content featuring close-up shade swatches, lip application tutorials, and aesthetic product showcase.
  • Engagement: Their engagement rate is extremely high because their visual content is satisfying, clear, and relatable.
  • Marketing Concepts: They excel at User-Generated Content(UGC) and Influencer Seeding. By sending PR packages to influencers worldwide, they generate authentic review videos that drive viral reach.
 The main challenge facing rom&nd is expanding international brand recognition beyond K-beauty enthusiasts into mainstream global retail fast-moving beauty trends in an extremely competitive industry.

What I Would Do As a Brand Manager

 If I were the brand manager for rom&nd, I would:

1. Develop an AR filter for virtual try-on: Create Instagram and TikTok virtual try-on filters that allow users to test different lip shades on their faces before purchasing.

2. Expand offline retail presence: Partner with major Western retailers to offer physical testing stations, allowing customers to try products in person.


 From this assignment, I learned how essential active social media listening, authentic user-generated content and understanding consumer feedback are for modern beauty brands. rom&nd's success shows that the most effective marketing strategy for a business is building a genuine connection with its audience.


Official Website: https://romandbeauty.com/pages/contact

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/romandyou/?hl=en

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@romandyou_official?lang=en

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