Harmeet Singh of The Body Shop on leveraging social media & experiential marketing for brand impact

The beauty industry is undergoing a shift as consumers place greater importance on sustainability, ethical sourcing, and inclusivity in their choices. With growing environmental awareness, health concerns, and the influence of social media, beauty is no longer just about aesthetics — it is also about values. More than ever, consumers are looking for products that reflect their beliefs, pushing brands to rethink how they engage with this changing landscape.

For The Body Shop, this means doubling down on its ethical commitments while navigating an increasingly competitive market. Beyond product formulations, the brand is focusing on retail innovation, community-led campaigns, and locally relevant storytelling to stay connected with its audience.

But maintaining authenticity while keeping pace with evolving industry trends is no small task. How does a legacy brand strike this balance? And what role does marketing play in ensuring these efforts truly resonate with consumers? In this conversation, Harmeet Singh, Chief Brand Officer, Asia South, discusses The Body Shop’s marketing strategy, the balance between purpose and commerce, and how the brand is adapting to an increasingly conscious consumer base.

Edited Excerpts: 

What does a typical day as the CBO of The Body Shop look like? What are your main priorities, and how do you balance strategy with execution?

As Chief Brand Officer, my role is to ensure that The Body Shop remains a brand that represents more than just beauty but also empowerment, sustainability, and ethical business practices. My mornings typically begin by reviewing consumer insights and global beauty trends to better understand how we can strengthen our connection with people. From there, it’s all about strategy—whether refining our product roadmap or aligning marketing initiatives. 

This involves working closely with teams to make sure our storytelling, retail experiences and digital presence authentically reflect our values. Balancing these elements is an ongoing process, but the ultimate goal remains clear: to create beauty that makes a difference!

Which marketing channels are working best for The Body Shop right now? Are CTV and Q-commerce becoming a bigger focus?

Retail presence is a critical channel for The Body Shop, offering a unique opportunity to engage customers through interactive, on-ground experiences with our products. It not only deepens our connection with consumers but also acts as a gateway to our online channels, where customers can shop for exclusive ranges and access special offers. This omnichannel approach ensures we meet our consumers wherever they are, from in-store to online/digital platforms. Recently, we’ve seen significant growth in Q-commerce, with the latter emerging as a dynamic, fast-growing channel. Our Q-commerce presence has been fueled by the rising demand for convenience and speed.

What does your social media marketing strategy look like? Which platforms and content formats are delivering the best results?

YouTube and Instagram play key roles in our social media strategy, with YouTube focusing on awareness and consideration through longer-form content. At the same time, Instagram leverages both to build engagement and brand visibility. We also create snackable content on YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels to capture attention quickly and drive product education and campaign storytelling. Blogs serve as an educational and informative tool, integrating YouTube’s tutorial content to provide deeper insights to our audience. Additionally, we’re seeing strong growth on LinkedIn for brand advocacy, CSR initiatives, and employer branding, while WhatsApp is an exciting avenue for more personalised and direct customer engagement.

How does experiential marketing fit into The Body Shop’s strategy? What role do in-store experiences play in building customer engagement?

Experiential marketing is at the core of The Body Shop’s brand philosophy—it’s how we bring our purpose to life. Our 20 Activist Workshop stores across India are designed as immersive spaces where beauty meets activism, encouraging customers to engage, explore, and take action.

A key feature of these stores is their deep cultural connection—15 of them showcase locally inspired murals celebrating India's rich heritage and diversity. But the experience goes beyond aesthetics. Sustainability is woven into every aspect of our Activist Workshop stores, from fixtures crafted from reclaimed wood and recycled materials to worktops made from 100% recycled materials.

Our RRR (Return, Recycle, Repeat) programme ensures that empty packaging finds its way back into the circular economy, reinforcing our belief that beauty should never come at the cost of the planet.

We also offer hands-on skincare and beauty workshops, personalised consultations, and advocacy-driven events.

For a beauty and skincare brand, sensory elements like touch, feel, and fragrance are key. How do you incorporate these into your flagship stores?

At The Body Shop, we don’t just sell beauty—we create experiences that engage the senses and connect customers with our brand’s purpose. Our flagship stores are designed to be immersive spaces where touch, feel, and fragrance come together to bring our products to life.

A key highlight is our Body Butter Towers in the Activist Workshop stores, where customers can explore the textures of our product formulations. Dedicated skincare and fragrance zones allow them to experience our products firsthand.

Our in-store beauty advisors play a crucial role in this journey, offering guidance, personalised recommendations, and more. 

The Body Shop has been expanding into Tier 2 & 3 cities. How has your marketing approach changed for this audience, and what are some consumer insights from these regions?

Expanding into Tier 2 & 3 cities has been an exciting journey for The Body Shop, allowing us to bring ethical, high-quality beauty to a broader audience while ensuring our approach remains locally relevant and culturally resonant. These markets have a deep-rooted affinity for traditional beauty rituals and ingredient-led skincare, making it essential for us to localise both our product offerings and storytelling.

Our marketing strategy has evolved to focus on hyper-local storytelling, experiential retail, and influencer collaborations that connect with regional audiences in an authentic way. We are deepening engagement through community-driven activations, immersive in-store experiences, and vernacular content that resonates with diverse beauty aspirations.

What core themes does The Body Shop aim to convey through its marketing strategy and advertisements, and how do these reflect the essence of the brand? & How important is storytelling in your marketing? Can you share an example of a campaign that effectively used cultural elements?

Our marketing is built on three core themes: Ethical Sourcing, Sustainability, and Activism. We believe beauty should empower, not conform, and our campaigns reflect this.

Our ‘Spark A Change’ festive campaigns are a powerful example of how we weave cultural elements into our storytelling. In 2023, we highlighted our long-standing partnership with one of our community trade partners, bringing attention to the skilled female artisans in India who create beautiful, ethically sourced gifts. The campaign, featuring Shefali Shah, took consumers on a journey through our stores, showcasing the faces behind the products and reinforcing the importance of conscious gifting.

In 2024, we deepened this impact by marking five years of our collaboration with Plastics for Change, the world’s largest source of fairly traded verified recycled plastic, The Body Shop supported marginalised communities through a collaborative endeavour.  

These campaigns prove that beauty marketing can be more than just aesthetics—it can spark conversations, challenge norms, and create a lasting social impact.

The same essence is also reflected through overall marketing initiatives where our heightened communication on ethical ingredient sourcing is well highlighted.

What are your short-term and long-term marketing goals for The Body Shop?

In the short term, we are focused on driving brand love and engagement through hyper-local storytelling and immersive retail experiences. Strengthening our omnichannel strategy remains a priority, and emphasizing more and more growth on QComm, ensuring seamless integration between digital and physical stores. We are also doubling down on purpose-led campaigns that reinforce our commitments to sustainability, inclusivity, and ethical beauty—whether through community impact initiatives, or advocacy on issues that matter to our consumers.

Our long-term goal is to deepen this legacy in India. We aim to scale our community-driven programs, make sustainable beauty more accessible, expand our footprint into emerging markets, and continue challenging industry norms with ethical, transparent business practices.