Avon swaps its iconic catalog for drag queens and YouTube tutorials

Avon.
(Image credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

America's original makeup catalog isn't just for moms anymore.

Avon's falling revenue has forced it to shift from its iconic door-to-door sales to a brand based on e-commerce, Bloomberg reports. And it's pushing outside the U.S. to get there.

Suffering from sales losses to Amazon and Walmart, the 132-year-old makeup brand sold its U.S. operations two years ago and moved its headquarters to London, Bloomberg says. Avon's marketing focus followed, and the company has since expanded into Brazil, Mexico, and other countries where door-to-door selling still reigns.

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But in the U.K., social media dominates. Avon still relies on independent representatives, but how they sell their products has changed. Many create YouTube channels and Instagram accounts full of beauty tips, pushing customers to order online instead of through a catalog, Bloomberg notes. Brazil's marketing features drag queens and transgender models done up in Avon products, and a Korean beauty line is in the works.

Avon's new CEO and new approach haven't turned around sales quite yet, with the company reporting revenue growth but net losses. But Avon is training representatives to be more social-media savvy, hoping a makeover will make customers answer the door once again.

Read more about Avon's new look at Bloomberg.

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Kathryn Krawczyk

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.